Thank you for viewing the Doctoral Dissertations and Capstone Projects Collection of West Chester University of Pennsylvania. You may view the abstracts of the dissertations and capstone projects by clicking on one of the specialization links below or view the entire collection by selecting the link at the bottom. To inquire about access to a specific manuscript, email thesisdoc@wcupa.edu for more information.
To submit your doctoral dissertation or capstone project, please click on the 'SUBMIT RESEARCH' link on the left side navigation bar.
Dissertations/Capstones from 2025
Looking Beyond the Blue: Exploring the Experiences of Black Female Police Officers During Training, Stephanie M. Almodovar
Transforming Societies through Peace Education: Lessons from Rwanda for Post-Conflict Reconstruction, Ahmad A. Bacha
Playing Hardball with Soft Money: A Qualitative Analysis of K-12 Administrators' Experiences in the ESSER Era, Mairead K. Barrett
Adaptive Leadership in HBCUs: Navigating Hybrid Work Dynamics in a Post-Pandemic Era, Brittney A. Brooks
Reducing Colonoscopy Cancellations Saves Lives, A Quality Improvement Project, Jennifer L. Brosnan
The Impact of Leadership Curriculum on High School Students’ Self-Efficacy, Shannon R. Brown
Developing a Collaborative Governance Framework for Hazard Mitigation Project Management: A Grounded Theory Approach Using Social Network Analysis, Kara R. Buckmaster
Reducing Unnecessary Antibiotics for the Treatment of Urinary Tract Infections, Megan A. Carullo
The Impact of Family Variables on the Mental Health of Gender Expansive Transitional Age Youth and Adults, Courtney Erdly
“Made For Me”: Stories of Discovery Among Autistic Students Traveling Abroad, Cherie A. Fishbaugh
The Role of Mentoring in Combating Racism and Sexism in Higher Education as a Blueprint for Other Historical Institutions in the United States, Michelle R. Gherardi
Exploring Perceptions of Accommodations in OT Fieldwork: A Mixed Methods Study, COURTNEY A. GOHEAN and Courtney Gohean
Assessing the effect of increasing the frequency of COPD Assessment Test utilization on rehospitalization rates for home health patients, Rebecca Goldberg
Twice As Good Half As Much: A Black Feminist Autoenthnography on Urban Teacher Compensation, Tyler Marie Goodwin
"What is Title IX? What's it mean?": An Instrumental Case Study in Today's Secondary Schools, Kristin Haggerty
Whose Role is it Anyway? A Mixed Methods Study of IFC and NPC New Member Educator’s Sense of Agency, Stephen Hopson
Literacy Teachers’ Self-Efficacy and Instructional Choice within a Structured Literacy Approach, Brianna Horst
"It's a Different Kind of Grit": The Lived Experiences of Identity and Sense of Belonging for Rural College-Going Students, Kim D. Jackson
Adverse parent-child relationships and relations to psychopathology in emerging adults: a multi-method examination, Sarah Jaweed
Understanding the Challenges and Satisfaction Among the Medical Professional Preceptors, Cornelia Ko
Perceptions of School Garden Programming and Their Communities: A Mixed-Methods Research Study, Briana LaFratte
Infant Health Equity in Oklahoma: A Mixed-Methods Exploration of Personal, Organizational, Environmental, and Policy Factors Contributing to Black Infant Mortality, Ayesha M. Lampkins
Examining the link between food and alcohol disturbance and alcohol-related sexual behavior: Does body esteem moderate the relationship?, JAMIE D. MARTIN
Flags as Symbols of Place: Unpacking Geographic Meaning and Identity in Student Flag Designs, Carlos A. Morales-Ramirez
Decreasing Charting Errors On an Antepartum Testing Unit, Morley Mullins
Get Back to Where You Once Belonged: A Homegrown Teacher Autoethnography, Jake Olimpi
From Theory to Practice: A Mixed Methods Study on K-8 Teachers’ Experiences Transitioning to Urban Education, Brittini S. Piercy
Utilizing a Virtual Discharge Nurse to Help Decrease Patient Length of Stay and Improve Earlier Discharge Times, Carol A. Romano
"Just Understand It": Autistic Student Reflections on Accessibility to Education Abroad, Emily Q. Rooney
Cultivating Civility, Courtney Ruck
“I’m Doing Good for Her”: Stories Examining the Employment Experiences of Undergraduate Students with Pell-Eligibility, Jennifer Ruggiero-Patel
Bridging Language Barriers: How Secondary Teachers Support English Language Learners in the Classroom, Mason Daniel Smith
Secondary Teachers' Perceptions of Social Emotional Learning: A Mixed Methods Study, Ryan Taylor
An Exploration of K-1 Teachers’ Experiences with Curriculum Change: It’s All Too Much, Grace Li M. Terramin
Voices of High School Writers: Exploring Perceptions and Experiences in Secondary Writing Education, Emily Wisniewski
Beyond the Annual Review: How Feedback Environments Shape Student Affairs and Student Service Employees’ Feedback Receptivity, Lauren Zahour
Employee Turnover & Retention in Rural Pennsylvania: A Public vs. Private Sector Study, Dusty J. Zeyn
Dissertations/Capstones from 2024
Public Value: The Viability of an Anchor for the Design of Adaptive Zoning Regulations, Venard Asongayi
Analyzing the Performance of Community-Oriented Policing by Assessing Justice Assistance Grants Issued in Pennsylvania: The Impact on Violent and Property Crimes, Robert L. Bailey
Household Chaos Relates to Cortisol Levels for Children in Head Start Preschool, Mary Ann Blumenthal
Transformational Leadership for a Remote Work Environment – Post COVID-19 Pandemic Era, Liza Craig
The Interactive Read-Aloud: A Case Study of Children with Intellectual Disabilities, Christine Cuozzo
Educators' Experiences of Childhood Trauma Infiltrating the Classroom: A Mixed Methods Study, Paige Dea
Waiting on the World (of Allied Healthcare) to Change: How Undergraduate Preparedness Curriculum Dis/Includes Ability, Brianna Donnelly
Differentiated Instruction: A Qualitative Study Focusing on the Voices of Elementary Teachers and Their Needs, Suzanne S. Fanelle
A Little Bird Told Me: The Lived Experiences of Officers Who Participated in Deep Undercover Programs, Oakley Fungaroli
Impact on Abortion Rates: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis of Planned Parenthood’s Refusal of Title X Family Planning Funding, Carrissa Griffing
Utilizing a Structured Music Therapy Program for Adolescents with Anxiety and Depression, Amy Haagen
Community Integration Experiences of Formerly Homeless Persons with Serious Mental Illness (SMI) Housed in Washington DC using the Housing First Model, Gwendolyn Harter
Evaluating Change in Teacher Stress, Burnout, and Classroom Behavior in A School Implementing A New Mindfulness-Based Curriculum, Emily Hershorin
Land Use Policy Impact on Health Equity in Rural America Counties, Shayla Holmes
Amplifying Voices of Postsecondary Outcomes for Physically Disabled Students a Qualitative Research Study, Jessica Keogh
Power to Elect: Voter Perception of Accessibility in North Carolina, Kristi Langford
Child Welfare Social Workers: Socially Situated Bureaucrats at the Forefront of Systemic Racism in Practice, Christina Lau
Understanding Students’ Cognitive Processes While Evaluating Online Sources: A Mixed Methods Study, Julia Lennox
Applying Executive Function for the Sake of Well-Being: A Case Study of Gifted Middle School Students, Erika Lucas
Classrooms, Hallways, and Peleas: The Violence and the Education of Latino Students, Pamela Margolis
Stories of Dismantling Whiteness in Social Work Educational Spaces, Jeanean Mohr
Enhancing Commercial Driver Safety Screening for Obstructive Sleep Apnea Through Educational Intervention, Wendy Mortimer
Screening for Postpartum Depression in Mothers whose Newborns are Admitted to the NICU: A Quality Improvement Project, Megan Mustachio
Examining Student and Teacher Perceptions of the iLit 45 Reading Program: A Qualitative Case Study, Ashley O'Connor
Use of a Clinical Pathway in the Management of Magnet Ingestion in the Pediatric Population, Kelly Pruden
Exploring Perceptions of Self-Compassion in Individuals with Complex Trauma Symptomology: A Qualitative Approach, Brooke Roseman
Information Impact on Home-Based Palliative Care Admissions, Donna Rugh
Optional Depression Screening in College Health, Brittany Schugsta
Community Cultural Wealth and its Impact on Pandemic Relief Funding for Small Businesses, Brett Smith
Navigating Post-College Career Paths: Perspectives on Career Identity and Self-Efficacy from Autistic Alumni, MaryEllen Stephens
The Impact and Effectiveness of Welfare Programs in Reducing Poverty in South Asia, Lamar Stovall
Implementation of a Nonpharmacological Sleep Bundle in a Surgical Intensive Care Unit, Kristen Talvacchia
Individuals Who Experienced Early Reading Difficulty: How Teacher Connections and Educational Practices Shape Motivation, Nicole Tinney
Cognitive Functioning in Well-Controlled Asthma, Erin Walsh
Safeguarding Sleep: A Comparative Analysis of a Non-pharmacological Sleep Protocol in the ICU to Prevent Delirium, Rebecca Walsh
Cortisol and Executive Functioning for Young Children attending Head Start Preschool, Zachary Weaver
To Be Tutored: Exploring How Female-Identifying Undergraduates Experience Tutoring, Samantha Barbara Weiss
Surviving Pandemic Practicum: Early Career Music Teachers' Perceived Self-Efficacy Following the COVID-19 Pandemic, Aubree Pacifico Windish
Institutional Factors Associated with Closing the Equity Gap in Six-Year Graduation Rates at Public Four-Year Universities, Lisa Yannick
The Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Inhibitory Control Among Emerging Adults, Lindsay Zavislak
Dissertations/Capstones from 2023
“Like a Whole Thing”: Dialogic Sensemaking in One Sixth Grade Classroom, Catherine Bienkowski
Embodiment, Scholarship Pressures, and Eating Disordered Behaviors in Division II Collegiate Athletes, Kelsey Blum
Descriptive Analysis of Open Government Practices of Four Mid-Sized Cities in New York State, Brian Bray
Liberatory Language Instruction: A Dusselian Self-Study, Renee Burgos
My Sister is My Role Model: Why Girls Choose Science, Patricia Butler
An Analysis of the Contracted Service Providers of Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS), Elsie Chocho
Examination of Intramural Sport Officials’ Training, Development and Performance: A Mixed Methods Study, Daniel Comas