The National University System Repository exists to increase public access to research and other materials created by students and faculty of the affiliate institutions of National University System. Most items in the repository are open access, freely available to everyone.
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Item Forensic Laboratory Techniques Utilized to Identify Potential Evidence for Collection and Preservation(2024-07-01)Forensic laboratory techniques that are utilized to identify potential evidence for collection and preservation are what is needed to solve cases and present evidence in court. When a crime has been committed the crime scene will always have evidence that must be collected and tested in order to identify victims, suspects, and to further explain what transpired at the crime scene. There is always a different way of collecting the potential evidence as the evidence located at the crime scene varies. Methods to carefully collect and preserve the evidence must be adhered to at all times as so not to contaminate the evidence collected. There are several types of evidence that can be collected at a crime scene that can be contaminated such as depositing hairs or fibers from clothing, latent footwear and fingerprints and DNA from another source that may be relevant to the case. There are also various search types that are utilized to search a wide array of crime scenes. Crime scene search methods are based on the type of evidence, location and the size of the crime scene. These various search methods are link, line or strip method, grid method, zone method, wheel or ray method and the spiral method. The aim of this research is to explain and show how forensic laboratory techniques are utilized to identify potential evidence for collection and preservation.Item A Phenomenological Study of Educators’ Preparedness and Lived Experiences with Trauma-Informed Practices(2026-05)This qualitative phenomenological study addressed educators’ perceptions of preparedness to implement trauma-informed practices, acknowledging the problem that many K-12 educators often lack adequate training in trauma-informed care that is necessary to support trauma-affected students. Through the lens of trauma-informed care, this study aimed to understand the perceptions of educators’ preparedness to support students with trauma and whether their pre-service training provided adequate support to foster confidence during implementation. Participants were selected after responding to invitations to participate in the study sent via email through open Listservs. Semi-structured interviews with eight educators in the Western United States were analyzed thematically using NVivo 15 and inductive coding. Open, axial, and selective coding were then used to facilitate meaningful coding sequences that helped the researcher capture the essence of each participant's experiences and identify main themes. Findings revealed educators often feel inadequately prepared to support trauma-affected students. Educators also emphasized the importance of quality pre-service training focused on trauma-informed care, ongoing professional development, and systemic support to increase overall confidence in implementation. Implications for practice include the need for mandatory trauma-informed pre-service training, ongoing professional development, and systemic support to allow for fidelity in implementation. This study contributes to the literature by elevating educators' voices in understanding perceptions of inadequate pre-service preparation and limited opportunities for further professional development, so they feel confident and prepared to address all students' behavioral and social-emotional needs. Future research is needed to examine the impact of mandating trauma-informed training in pre-service programs and what components contribute to building confident and competent educators.Item Examining the Path from Relationship Conflict to Work Disengagement: A Phenomenological Study of Employee Perspectives(2026-04)Relationship conflict in the workplace is a persistent organizational problem that undermines employee well-being, diminishes work engagement, and contributes to voluntary turnover. Although prior research has linked relationship conflict to disengagement and turnover, there has been limited attention given to understanding how employees experience this progression. The problem addressed in this study was how relationship conflict in the workplace leads to work disengagement, resulting in voluntary employee turnover. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore employees’ lived experiences as they progressed from relationship conflict to work disengagement, with the aim of identifying factors that may help decrease employee turnover within organizations. The conceptual framework for this study was the conservation of resources theory, which conceptualizes relationship conflict as a stressor that depletes emotional and psychological resources, leading to disengagement and eventual withdrawal from work roles. The research methodology involved a qualitative phenomenological design to gain deep insights into the participants' perspectives. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 20 participants who had experienced relationship conflict in the workplace. The study identified nine themes from three research questions that focused on how employees experience relationship conflict, the progression toward disengagement, and potential organizational strategies to reduce disengagement and turnover. The findings of this study indicated that relationship conflict in the workplace triggers severe emotional strain and physiological stress that negatively affects employee well-being. The recommendations for practice include increasing leadership engagement and involvement, providing conflict management training and organizational support through formal human resources processes, and fostering healthy work environments that prioritize employee well-being. Recommendations for ii future research include longitudinal designs, cross-cultural replication, and exploring pathways across different industry sectors to broaden the understanding of resource-driven disengagement. This study contributed to the literature by addressing the gap in understanding the lived experience through which relationship conflict progresses to work disengagement and turnover while providing insight to organizations regarding potential effective intervention strategies.Item Psychosocial Stress, Perceived Gendered Racism, and Preterm Birth by Gestational Age at Birth: Associations Among Non-Hispanic Black Women During Pregnancy(2026-03)Stress is a complex and multifaceted construct that may arise during pregnancy from pregnancy-specific concerns or social and cultural interactions, referred to as psychosocial stress. It can affect both maternal and infant health. Persistent racial disparities in maternal and infant health outcomes, particularly the disproportionately high rates of preterm birth among non-Hispanic Black women, remain inadequately explained by known risk factors. The problem addressed in this study was the limited understanding of how psychosocial stress and perceived gendered racism are related during pregnancy and how these factors may be associated with preterm birth outcomes among non-Hispanic Black women. Grounded in Lazarus and Folkman’s transactional model of stress and coping, this quantitative non-experimental correlation study examined the relationships between perceived gendered racism, psychosocial stress, and preterm birth by gestational age at birth. Two research questions guided the study: (a) What is the relationship between perceived gendered racism and psychosocial stress? (b) What is the relationship between perceived gendered racism, psychosocial stress, and preterm birth? Data were collected via self-report surveys from a nonprobability sample of 170 participants. Measures included the Gendered Racial Microaggressions Scale and the Psychosocial Hassles Scale. Pearson and partial correlation analyses were conducted. Results indicated statistically significant, moderate positive associations between perceived gendered racism and psychosocial stress. No statistically significant direct association was found with preterm birth when psychosocial stress was controlled. These findings suggest psychosocial stress represents an important correlate linking gendered racism to maternal health disparities. Findings may support culturally responsive prenatal care and indicate a need for future longitudinal and intervention research.Item Phenomenological Study of the Influence of Student Adverse Childhood Experiences on the Social-Emotional Experiences of Novice Teachers in Urban Environments(2026-06)Teacher shortages, retention issues, and an exodus from teaching due to workload demands have left school districts with little choice but to fill vacancies with novice teachers. Disproportionately placed in settings where they are likely to instruct students with adverse childhood experiences, novice teachers in urban environments possess unique experiences. This study explores the influence that the adverse childhood experiences of students have on novice elementary teachers in urban environments. The problem is that novice elementary teachers in urban environments are exposed to social-emotional stressors while working with large numbers of students with adverse childhood experiences, possibly contributing to teacher burnout, fatigue, and resignation. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to explore the feelings and experiences of novice elementary teachers working in urban school districts who are exposed to social-emotional stressors while working with large numbers of students with adverse childhood experiences. Participating in a series of interviews and document review, six novice teachers provided context and revealed trajectories toward burnout, fatigue, and resignation in their work with students with childhood adversities. The Modified Stevick-Colaizzi Keen method of data analysis and NVIVO were used to organize and analyze data collected from the study’s novice teachers. The findings reveal multiple internal and external factors related to the social-emotional experiences of novice teachers, influenced by the adversities of their students and how novice teachers cope with their feelings relative to student adversities. Implications for practice include providing novices with trauma-informed practices and holistic strategies for coping with job-related stress and burnout. Future research should further explore novice teachers in urban environments in their work with students facing adversity, including novices across diverse school contexts.
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