This dissertation was developed in response to a significant rise in stress, anxiety, and depression within the adolescent population during 2019-2021. The research was exploratory in nature to determine the feasibility of utilizing targeted social emotional mobile applications with high school students. A single case study design with changing…

Mobile polling is a widely used classroom response system at the university level. The current study examines the predictors and outcomes of mobile polling including self-regulation and academic achievement. Furthermore, this study explores whether or not mobile polling benefits some students more than others, specifically those with higher levels…

In the age of computing, we rely on software to manage our days, from the moment we wake up until we go to sleep. Software predicts the future based on actualized data from the past. It produces procedures instead of experiences and solutions instead of care. Software systems tend to perpetuate a normalized state of equilibrium. Their application…

Background: Chronic disease management constitutes a special challenge in the United States due to deficiencies in the healthcare system. Chronic disease self-management (CDSM) using technology and gaming principles is a promising way to overcome these challenges. Yet, there are few disease-specific apps to benefit the populations likely to…

Persuasive technology (PT) has the potential to support individuals to perform self-management and social support as a part of health behavior change. This has led a few researchers in the intersection of the areas of health behavior change and software engineering to apply behavior change and persuasion theories to software development practices,…

This dissertation describes a line of research that addresses translational research questions related to the use of computerized simulation to affect the knowledge, beliefs, motivation and self-management behaviors of individuals with chronic disease. The specific research projects focus on type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and physical activity as…

For decades, African American students, nationwide, have consistently scored much lower on math and reading achievement tests than their European counterparts, creating what is known as the "White-Black Achievement Gap". The purpose of the research was to determine if self regulated learning and communal learning contexts, either…

This study explores the web-navigation practices of adult learners in higher education and re-conceptualizes the concept of the organizing circumstance of self-managed learning, originated by Spear and Mocker (1984). The theoretical framework draws on funds of knowledge theory from a cultural historical perspective and elaborates a Vygotskian…