Digital Commons Network^™

Development Of A Self-Report Scale Of Motivation: The Multifaceted Motivation Inventory, Magan T. Halverson

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Individuals experience different dimensional levels of motivation and apathy (i.e., the lack of motivation), which can reflect both state and trait contributions. Chronic apathy is common in a number of neurological and psychiatric disorders such as mild cognitive impairment, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. The primary aim of the current study was to create a new self-report measure that measures different domains of motivation/apathy with subscales and also take into account many other aspects that could affect motivation within the same scale, including energy level, anticipatory and consummatory pleasure, indecisiveness, and initial and sustained effort. A …

Development Of A Spanish Version Of The Main Concept Analysis For Analyzing Oral Disordered Discourse, Karla Simonet

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Aphasia is an acquired language impairment caused by damage in the regions of the brain that support language. The Main Concept Analysis (MCA) is a published formal assessment battery that allows the quantification of the presence, accuracy, completeness, and efficiency of content in spoken discourse produced by persons with aphasia (PWA). It utilizes a sequential picture description task (with four sets of pictures) for language sample elicitation. The MCA results can also be used clinically for targeting appropriate interventions of aphasic output. The purpose of this research is to develop a Spanish adaptation of the MCA by establishing normative data …

Fall Risk Assessment In Community- Dwelling Older Adults: An Explanatory Sequential Mixed Methods Study, Maryann Dool

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Abstract

Aims: 1) To determine fall risk assessment using subjective and objective measures; 2) To understand older adults' perception on fall risk assessment.

Methodology: An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was used and consisted of two phases. Phase 1, the quantitative data was collected from nineteen older adults at an independent living facility in Orlando, Florida. Phase 2, the qualitative data was collected from three participants of Phase 1. After obtaining Institutional Review Board approval, the study was conducted at Lutheran Towers an independent living facility located in the downtown area of Orlando, Florida. Three measurement tools were used: demographic …

Fear Of Falling Assessment And Interventions In Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Mixed Methods Case Study, Amanda S. Cappleman

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Background: Fear of falling has significant adverse physical and psychological effects for the community-dwelling older adult. Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess fear of falling in community-dwelling older adults and explore participant perceptions of fear of falling assessments and interventions. Methods: A mixed methods case study was utilized to gain an in-depth understanding of older adults' perceptions. It consisted of quantitative data collection by objective measures and qualitative data collection by four individual in-depth interviews. A sample of four community-dwelling adults aged 65 years and older and living in Orlando, Florida, completed the study in their home …

Mission Statements As Naming Proposals: An Rsi Approach, Susan K. Opt

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This study explores the communication process used to generate and express communication program mission “names.” It argues that the process that underlies the creating, maintaining, and changing of names, ranging from the specific to the ideological, also generates academic unit “mission.” Viewing mission texts through the lens of the rhetoric of social intervention model reveals how the texts reason rhetorically as they propose and provide evidence for the “appropriateness” of a unit’s constituted mission name. Awareness of the rhetorical-reasoning pattern can help unit members make sense of mission-building or -revising work and provide a practical way for them to organize …

Participant's Perception Of Realism And Pediatric Pain Assessment Utilizing A Virtual Patient: A Pilot Study, Alexandra Carson

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The use of simulation in curriculum affords students with the opportunity to enhance clinical skills in a safe environment. However, certain aspects of patient assessment are difficult to reproduce in current simulators, such as changes in facial expressions. Facial expressions are of particular importance when assessing for the presence and severity of pain in the pediatric population. Inconsistencies found in accurate identification of pain suggest the necessity of improved pain assessment training. This study evaluated nursing student’s perceptions of a virtual patient designed to realistically display varying levels of pain in the pediatric patient. Additional purposes of this study were …

Classroom Projects As Embodied And Embedded Outcomes Assessment, Garnet C. Butchart, Margaret Mullan

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

Although educators already recognize the value in engaging student learning through classroom projects and service-learning, assessment of student learning through classroom projects may be accompanied by a shift of attention from mastery of ideas to embodied knowledge. We argue that embodiment is the basic semiotic condition of being human—of being both an expressive and perceptive (communicative) being among others. Linking this philosophy of communication principle to the topic of assessment, the article offers assessment research a focus of attention on learning settings: from embodiment as learning context, to the built environment of classrooms, as well as to group interaction. We …

The Development And Testing Of A Measurement System To Assess Intensive Care Unit Team Performance, Aaron Dietz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teamwork is essential for ensuring the quality and safety of healthcare delivery in the intensive care unit (ICU). Complex procedures are conducted with a diverse team of clinicians with unique roles and responsibilities. Information about care plans and goals must also be developed, communicated, and coordinated across multiple disciplines and transferred effectively between shifts and personnel. The intricacies of routine care are compounded during emergency events, which require ICU teams to adapt to rapidly changing patient conditions while facing intense time pressure and conditional stress. Realities such as these emphasize the need for teamwork skills in the ICU. The measurement …

Context-Aware Mobile Augmented Reality Visualization In Construction Engineering Education, Arezoo Shirazi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent studies suggest that the number of students pursuing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degrees has been generally decreasing. An extensive body of research cites the lack of motivation and engagement in the learning process as a major underlying reason of this decline. It has been discussed that if properly implemented, instructional technology can enhance student engagement and the quality of learning. Therefore, the main goal of this research is to implement and assess effectiveness of augmented reality (AR)-based pedagogical tools on student learning. For this purpose, two sets of experiments were designed and implemented in two different construction …

Digital Interactive Games For Assessment: A Study Of The Effectiveness Of A Digital Game As A Measure Of Students' Understanding Of Boolean Logic, Mohammad Ali Haji

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Digital games have been used mostly for entertainment but recently researchers have started to use digital games in other areas such as education and training. Researchers have shown that digital games can provide a compelling, creative, and collaborative environment for learning. However, the popularity of computers and the Internet brings this question to mind: Are the assessment methods falling behind and remaining traditional? Will the traditional methods of learning and knowledge assessment be sufficient for this new generation who are starving for new technology? This study investigates the effectiveness of using a digital interactive game as an assessments method - …

Assessing Organizational Image Through The College Open House: A Tool For Success, Andrea M. Pampaloni, Andrea Vadaro Tucker

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This study evaluates how effective colleges and universities are in presenting an accurate and positive organizational image via their open house events. The Open House Assessment for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) © was developed to determine how institutional characteristics identified by potential members as influential to their decision to affiliate with a school were made relevant through the organizational image presented by the school. Open house events at twenty-four colleges and universities were assessed using the tool. Findings indicate that there are overall modifications to open house events that might benefit all schools, suggesting that the tool can be an …

Adapting Assessment For The Field Of Communication, Marcus Paroske, Sarah Rosaen

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

It has now become a universal mandate that communication programs conduct assessment of whether students attain selected learning outcomes. However, approaches to assessment unique to communication beyond the basic public speaking course are rare in the literature. This paper defends a “meta-assessment” approach to communication assessment as a key to negotiating the unique attributes of the field of communication, especially in heterogeneous academic departments and programs. It further argues that this approach can benefit assessment of similar, interdisciplinary academic programs.

Building Support For The Introductory Oral Communication Course: Strategies For Widespread And Enduring Support On Campus, Jon A. Hess

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

A strong introductory course is important for many communication departments, for the discipline, and for meeting our obligation to society. This paper utilizes the example of a recent curricular reform that threatened to eliminate a required oral communication course to reflect on strategies departments can use to build widespread and lasting support for the course. The paper reviews the events that led to the challenge and details the department’s response, which offers lessons that may be useful for other institutions. Four lessons include: tailoring the introductory course to the institution’s needs and mission, involvement in university work, making compelling use …

The Relationship Between Reading Coaches' Utilization Of Data Technology And Teacher Development, Cherie Allen Behrens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The use of technology in assisting educators to use student data in well-devised ways to enhance the instruction received by students is gaining headway and the support of federal dollars across the nation. Since research has not provided insight as to whether or not reading coaches are using data technology tools with teachers, this mixed methods study sought to examine what behavioral intentions reading coaches have in using data technology tools with teachers, what variables may influence their behavioral intentions, and what trends may emerge in their views about using technology data tools with teachers. A mixed methods approach was …

Development Of The Tagalog Version Of The Western Aphasia Battery-Revised, Carmina Ozaeta

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There has been limited research done in the Philippines in the area of aphasia, a frequent concomitant symptom of strokes and presents as impairment in any area of the input and output of language. Diagnosis is generally conducted by clinicians based on sites of lesion of speakers with aphasia and clinical observations of language symptoms and unpublished translation of the WAB. The lack of relevant research and formal assessment tools in the Philippines motivated this current study. The development of this type of assessment battery for the Tagalog (pronounced /təˈɡɑːlɒɡ/ in English) speaking population will provide a means for differential …

The Relationship Of 10th-Grade District Progress Monitoring Assessment Scores To Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test Scores In Reading And Mathematics For 2008-2009, Marilyn Underwood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this research was to investigate the use of a district created formative benchmark assessment in reading to predict student achievement for 10th-grade students on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) in one county in north central Florida. The purpose of the study was to provide information to high school principals and teachers to better understand how students were performing and learning and to maximize use of the formative district benchmark assessment in order to modify instruction and positively impact student achievement. This study expanded a prior limited study which correlated district benchmark assessment scores to FCAT scores …

Roses Are Red, Violets Are Bluehow Poetry In Science Can Help Students Learn Something New, Kimberly Casselman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was an attempt to examine how poetry integrated with science could assist eighth graders in the memorization of key science vocabulary words. Furthermore, it would investigate if student attitude, interest, and motivation would improve with the use of the poetry. Instruction was adjusted to implement poetry into astronomy lessons. Memorization activities such as poems, chanting, and repetition were used to help students remember the vocabulary and the definitions. Pre/post tests were used to interpret if the poetry did assist in the memorization of the astronomy vocabulary. Science interest surveys and science attitude surveys were used to interpret if …

Interrater Reliability Of Psychomotor Skill Assessment In Athletic Training, Jason Craddock

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Assessment in athletic training education is an evolutionary process that is determined by each individual Athletic Training Education Program. The autonomy authorized by national accreditation standards allows academic programs to determine the appropriate assessment practices that facilitate the meeting of student learning outcomes. Even with autonomy, formative and summative techniques are to be employed in both the didactic and clinical arenas of athletic training education programs. The major objective of athletic training education is to prepare students for entry-level practice in athletic training. The purpose of this study was to assess interrater reliability of athletic training faculty and approved clinical …

Assessment Practices Inelementary Visual Art Classrooms, Jennifer Betz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to investigate the attitudes and usages of assessment methods by elementary visual art teachers in two southeastern school districts. Data consisted of responses to a mailed survey instrument that included relevant demographic information pertaining to respondent's educational preparation experiences, tabulation of classroom activities, assessment usage, and a construct set of questions which addressed an attitudinal scale about the effectiveness of evaluation and measurement within their visual art classrooms. The primary focus of attitudinal orientation toward assessment centered upon the types of role models respondents encountered regarding assessment during initial teacher preparation and the …

Service Quality In Academic Libraries: An Analysis Of Libqual+„¢ Scores And Institutional Characteristics, Kathleen Miller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory study considered the problem of assessing quality in academic libraries. The research question that framed the investigation asked whether service quality scores from the LibQUAL+ instrument were related to the following college or university characteristics: institutional type, enrollment level, or the level of investment made in libraries. Data regarding Carnegie classification, FTE enrollment, and library expenditures were collected for 159 college and university libraries that participated in LibQUAL+ during 2006. Descriptive statistics, bivariate correlations, and regression analyses were calculated and the Bonferroni adjustment was applied to significance levels to compensate for errors caused by repeated calculations using the …

Comparing Assessment Methods As Predictors Of Student Learning In Undergraduate Mathematics, Nichole Shorter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This experiment was designed to determine which assessment method: continuous assessment (in the form of daily in-class quizzes), cumulative assessment (in the form of online homework), or project-based learning, best predicts student learning (dependent upon posttest grades) in an undergraduate mathematics course. Participants included 117 university-level undergraduate freshmen enrolled in a course titled "Mathematics for Calculus". Initially, a multiple regression model was formulated to model the relationship between the predictor variables (the continuous assessment, cumulative assessment, and project scores) versus the outcome variable (the posttest scores). However, due to the possibility of multicollinearity present between the cumulative assessment predictor variable …

The Relationship Among Wellness, Severity Of Disturbance, And Social Desirability Of Entering Master's-Level Counseling Students, Heather Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A wellness paradigm may hold promise for unifying and strengthening the identity of the counseling profession. The construct of wellness may also hold implications for assessment of entering master's-level counseling students, as a tool for continuous evaluation of students, or for overall program evaluation. In this study, the only counseling-based wellness assessment measure, the Five Factor Wellness Evaluation of Lifestyle, was tested for its relationship to two other constructs: psychological disturbance and social desirability. In order to test the research hypotheses, a total of nine programs (in five states) and 204 entering master's-level counseling students completed instrumentation packets comprised of …

Assessing Male Body Image: Development And Validation Of The Appearance Inventory For Men (Aim), Daniel Agliata

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite evidence suggesting that appearance dissatisfaction among men is on the rise, a void in appropriate forms of body image assessment for males remains. The current study reviews the literature on male body image, identifying the shortcomings and limitations of prior research, and introduces a psychometrically sound, male-specific body image assessment. An initial item-generation study was used to poll 253 males to inquire about their concerns, emotions, behaviors, and related body image topics to be sorted and synthesized into items for scale inclusion. The newly developed Appearance Inventory for Men (AIM) was then administered to 330 males and submitted to …