The Capstone Paper is written by students in the SIT Graduate Institute Master's Programs. Capstones reassess theoretical knowledge in light of professional experience in the form of a final research paper, incorporating both classroom knowledge and practicum based experience.
The full-text of papers written before July 2011 is limited to World Learning/SIT faculty, staff, students, and alumni. If you are not affiliated with World Learning and want access to these papers contact your local library and ask about requesting the hard copy on interlibrary loan. Papers written after July 2011 are all available full-text online with no restrictions
Submissions from 2024
Living Dead Forests: Assessing Detrital Services in Puget Sound Pseudotsuga menziesii Ecosystems, Forrest Becker
INTENSIVE ENGLISH PROGRAM DESIGN FOR MINNESOTA PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT, Ellen Bialka
UTILIZATION OF EMPATHY AS A LEARNING TOOL AMONG EDUCATORS AT KATE BOND ELEMENTARY, Heather Demarest
Keeping the Peace: From Bosnia to The Sahel, Jack Fitzgerald
Maine School of Wonder: Developing a School for Earth Skills and Sustainability in Maine, Leigha Hart
Study Abroad Impact in the Mid-term: Influence on Professional Development in Japan, Alex Kerns
Returning Power to the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe: Energy Policy and Tribal Autonomy, Nicolas Land-Kazlauskas
ANALYZING YOUTH EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMS AND THEIR IMPACT IN URBAN AND RURAL LIBERIA, Bartime Abel Learwellie and Bartime Abel Learwellie
Applied Theatre for Peacebuilding: Exploring the Value of Embodied Practice, Emily Machin-Mayes
Peace and Justice Themes as Presented Within Select Works of Children’s Literature, Jessica Marker
A Lifetime of Climate Changes: Female Farmers' Perceptions of Climate Change Impacts to Well-Being and Livelihood in Antigua and Barbuda, Jamie Matthews
Coffee in Brasil: Sustainability and the Role of Intermediaries, Livia Petzinger
COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER TRAINING IN THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES: A PROGRAM REFLECTION, Jill Lyn Ridling and Jill Lyn Ridling
Solar Photovoltaics as Climate Change Adaptations for Farmers in West Bengal, India: Barriers Within a Food-Water-Energy Nexus Approach, Emily Rochford
Empowering Youth in Rural Haiti: Establishing a Computer Laboratory and Digital Literacy Training for Education and Livelihood Enhancement in Duchity, Grand’Anse, jhenny saint-surin
Global Portraits from a Changing Climate: The Influence of Environmental Storytelling on the Climate Narrative, Alexandra Welch
The Impact of the Jordanian Education System on Syrian Refugee Identity, Victoria Wiese
College of Charleston (CofC) Experiential Learning Program in Ghana, Spring 2024, Matthew J. Zittritsch
Submissions from 2023
Hygiene behavior changes of Syrian early adolescent students in Jordan in the context of COVID-19 considering parents and teacher’s perception, Ghassan Alkhateeb
An analysis of communication-related information and services offered to parents of deaf children in Puerto Rico, Brenda Belcher
RESILIENCE THROUGH URBAN GREEN SPACES: COLLABORATIONS AND COLLECTIVE ACTION TOWARD EQUITABLE ACCESS AND CREATION OF GREEN SPACE IN ALBANY, NEW YORK, Frederick Bentley
No Integration Without Employment: Asylum-Seekers in Serbia and their Search for Employment, Jona Block
U.S. Student Motivations to Study Abroad in East Asia: A Regional Comparison, Nadezhda Braun
Masters Abroad, Sebastian Chavez
Bridging Knowledge Systems in the Peruvian Andes: Plurality, Co-Creation, and Transformative Socio-Ecological Solutions to Climate Change, Domenique Ciavattone
The Belt & Road Initiative, The Impact on Kenya by way of the maritime route., J Lawrence Englert
Global Changemakers - Hope for the Future, Ann Flanagan
THE IMPACT OF EXERCISE AND SPORTS ON THE PSYCHOSOCIAL WELL-BEING OF SYRIAN REFUGEE YOUTH, Joseph Fox-Sowell
The Adaptive Capacity to implement Climate Migration Policy in response to Sea-Level Rise in the Maldives, Kelsey Garrett
SOCIAL AND CULTURAL VALUES IN ALASKAN SUBSISTENCE MANAGEMENT: RURALITY AND THE MEANING OF “MEANINGFUL” NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, Jarred Haynes
Sustainable Energy Distribution Methods at the Azraq and Za’atari Refugee Camps in Jordan: A Refugee Perspective, Lucie Lagodich
Community Resilience and Creating Capacities for Risk Reduction in First Nations Communities, Case Study in Minegoziibe Anishinabe (Pine Creek First Nation), Brittany S. Lavallee
Using Community Organizing Best Practices to Redesign the DART Organizers' Institute, Anna Long
The U.S. Government's Global Food Security Strategy and the Effectiveness of Agriculture-Led Growth Through the Perspectives of Climate Change and Sustainability, Marcella McNerney
Roger Williams University Internationalization Plan Analysis and Recommendations, Ryan Monahan
National Development and the Sustainability of Mining in the Atacama Desert, Chile, Dakota Soleil Osgood
Heritage Diplomacy: A Case of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan & the United States, Michelle Rahimi
Opportunity Discrimination: Resettlement Efforts Made by NGOs in the United States, Sarah Rauf
System Support for Early Grade Teacher Mentors in Cambodia, Jana Scislowicz
The Radical Imagination: Exploring the Intersection of the Youth-led Climate Justice Movement and Education, Calla Sneller
Decolonizing WASH Practices Between National Policies & International Standards: A Case Study in Tanzania, Mary Thibodeau
Responding to Disproportionate Skin Cancer Rates Affecting Adult Men Aged 18-60, Aaron Thompson
Navigating Real World Conditions: M&E in USAID Projects, Jenny Tolman
Submissions from 2022
The Evolution of Aid Protection: a future informed by Afghanistan, Tabitha Babcock
Colombia Intercultura Study Abroad, Nadeen Black
"But What Will They Spend it On?" Examining the Concept of Dignity in Cash Assistance Programs Against the Distrust in Recipient Spending, Jenna Calandro
Beyond Field Trips: Partnerships Between Schools and Tribal Museums, Lauren Cooke
Sustainability and Resilience in Small-Scale Land-Based Livelihoods in Maine, Sam Calvino Cowan
Promise and Problems of Short-term Mission Trips Through the Eyes of Christian Young Adults, Hayley Culver
Sustainable Avitourism on Curieuse Island in the Seychelles, Chesley Davis
Building on Best Practices and Organizational Expertise: Informing Curriculum Design for Refugee and Asylum-seeking Youth at Philadelphia Outward Bound School, Emily Della Fera
Neocolonialism in Cape Town: The Municipal Spatial Development Framework (MSDF) through Critical Theory, Emily Dionne
Supporting LGBTQ International Students Through Resource Visibility: Examining Washington State Community Colleges, Abigail Fredrickson
Feminism at the Borders: The Navigation of Gender Issues by Mexican-American Women Along the U.S.-Mexico Border, Carolina Fuentes
Impact of Community Radio on Community Development in the United States, Jillian Hermansky
A second "Pandemic": How COVID-19 has impacted international student mental health in North Carolina, Rachel Kerr
Manual of Sustainable Urban Practices Towards Long-term Conservation, Haley Kilmer
Australian-American Fulbright Alumni: An Analysis of the Impact of the Australian-American Fulbright Program on American Awardees, Maya Kozarsky
Teacher Preparation and Multilingualism in Education, Jordan Lucas
IDENTIFYING CRITICAL AGING CARE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN HIGH-INCOME COUNTRIES: A CROSS-COUNTRY COMPARISON OF DENMARK, GERMANY, AND THE UNITED STATES, Cassandra Martin
The Eastern Atomic Rise: Defining Nuclear Hegemony in a Multi-lateral World, Eric Rodriguez
The Undocumented Perspective in California, Sahar Sandoval
PERSPECTIVES ON SUSTAINABILITY IN SHORT-TERM FACULTY-LED PROGRAMS, Amanda Staton
U.S. Immigration Policies Affecting Mexican and Central American Youth and Their Access to Higher Education, Margaret Elizabeth Tejada
Using Social-Emotional Learning to Support Academic Achievement in the Wake of COVID-19: A Case Study Within Boone County Schools, Jessica Vowell
Foodways in Chile: A Bridge Back to Nature, Kayla Weiss
Reinforcing A Women’s Group Project, Anna Williams
Navigating the Necessary Evils: Contemplating the Topic of Sustainability in Study Abroad, Megan Zacher
Submissions from 2021
Diversity and Worldliness at the Compass School, Luiz A. Batista
Program Design Features Attracting Youth in Diepsloot to Urban Agriculture: Exploring Rhiza Babuyile's Tiny Farm Agri-Program, Nyasha Frank Chibanda
ANTICIPATING CHANGE: Multi-tier Framework for a Sustainable Energy Transition, Francesca Cresta
IMPROVING RECYCLING IN JORDAN: USING SURVEYS AND CASE STUDIES TO PREDICT THE SUCCESS OF PROJECT TADWEER, Blake Dixon
Integrating Adult Mentorship Module Within Youth Oriented Programs, Shady Elfaham
APICULTURE ADAPTATIONS IN A SHIFTING WORLD: THE BEEKEEPER’S EXPERIENCE ACROSS THE GLOBE, Katherine Lloyd
Black Lives Matter, Randal McKoy
Pathway Provider Programs: The International Student Experience, Aaron A. Mendez
Impact Of Mentoring Amongst Indigenous Young Adults In Sabah, Malaysia, Terence Ooi
INCORPORATING EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE INTO FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATION SERVICES AS A BETTER MEANS TO MANAGE HIV/AIDS IN SOUTHERN CAMEROON., Christine Pafe
Student Mobility in the Wake of COVID-19: The Mainland Chinese Parent Perspective, Anna Profatilova
Current State of Seagrasses in Zanzibar: Impacts of Coastal Economic Activities and Marine Protected Areas on Seagrass Cover, Danielle Purvis and Narriman Jiddawi
IMPROVING PRE-DEPARTURE TRAINING FOR ENGLISH TEACHER VOLUNTEERS IN COSTA RICA: AN EXAMINATION OF ALIARSE AND RECOMMENDATIONS, Derek Schwartz
Exploring Accessible & Responsive Trauma-Informed Schools: A Regenerative Approach to Student & Educator Support, Kennidy Stood
To New Geographies: Implementing U.S. Department of Energy Order 151.1D, Comprehensive Emergency Management System, Eric B. Sussman
Study Abroad Program for the University of Glasgow: A Short-Term Life Sciences Program to Indonesia, Shannon Tobin
Submissions from 2020
The Island Earth Field Studio: A High School Summer Program on Polynesian Voyaging in Hawaii, Andrea M. Bachmann
THE SUSTAINABILITY OF CHILD PROTECTION SERVICES IN THE REPUBLIC OF KOSOVO, Shpetim Bylykbashi
What Does a "Just" Local Food System Look Like? Views from Worcester in a Changing Climate, Marguerite Cawley
Refugee Perspectives on Transitioning from Higher Education in the United States to Life Post-Graduation, Jessica S. Clarkson
COVID-19’s Impact on Climate Change Research and Institutional Resilience in Higher Education in Vermont and Tanzania, Stephanie Clement