Digital Commons Network^™

Mentoring Dialogues: An Investigation Of The Dialectical Tensions And Management Strategies In Mentoring Relationships, Paul J. Kosempel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the past 30 years, mentoring has gained perhaps the largest recognition of any phenomenon related to career success. Much of the current research that has explored mentoring relationships has been conducted in fields other than communication studies, although better communication is often the recommended solution to improve mentoring. The majority of research has focused on the outcomes of mentoring relationships, rather than the process of mentoring relationships. Mentoring has also not been studied through a relational dialectics perspective. This study explored the communication dynamics within mentoring relationships through a relational dialectics theoretical lens. The study utilized multiple methods including …

A Study Of Digital Communication Tools Used In Online High School Courses, Nathan Putney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the degree to which selected communication tools used by teachers who teach online are positively perceived by their students in improving feelings of self-efficacy and motivation, and which tools may be perceived to be significantly more effective than the others. Students from the Florida Virtual School, a leader in online course delivery for grades 6-12, were surveyed to find their perceptions about how their teachers' use of email, Instant Messaging, chat, the telephone, discussion area, whiteboard, and assignment feedback affected their motivation and success in an online high school course. Correlations were …

Sex Education Policy In Florida: Strategies For Change, Jenna Cawley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sex education policies and programs in Florida are largely dominated by the abstinence-only approach. This paper makes the case that abstinence-only education is a failing policy in Florida, and evaluates strategies advocates may use in order to accomplish reform. Three different strategies are evaluated: countywide school district reform, statewide rejection of federal abstinence-only funding, and statewide standardization of sex education via legislation. Contrasts are drawn between all three strategies with regard to their potential impact on sex education policy in Florida, viability, and the challenges they present to advocates. This paper concludes that statewide standardization of sex education in Florida …

Learning African-American History In A Synthetic Learning Environment, Adams Greenwood-Ericksen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Synthetic Learning Environments (SLEs) represent a hybrid of simulations and games, and in addition to their pedagogical content, rely on elements of story and interactivity to drive engagement with the learning material. The present work examined the differential impact of varying levels of story and interactivity on learning. The 2x2 between subjects design tested learning and retention among 4 different groups of participants, each receiving one of the 4 possible combinations of low and high levels of story and interactivity. Objective assessments of participant performance yielded the unexpected finding that learners using the SLE performed more poorly than any other …

An Analysis Of Beginning Counselor Education Master's Degree Candidate's Ability To Make Ethical Decisions Based On The American Counseling Association's Ethical Standards After Having Completed A Course In Professional Ethics, Richard Joseph Behun

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There are many arguments on the best methods to instruct the professional counseling candidate on the ethical implications they are most likely to encounter. This study examined a professional counselor candidate's ability to apply the information in a course in professional and ethical practices and their ability to make ethical decisions based on the American Counseling Association's Code of Ethics

Social Presence, Satisfaction, And Perceived Learning Of Rn-To-Bsn Students In Web-Based Nursing Courses, Susan Cobb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While the development of online education has been progressing rapidly, further evaluation research is needed (Atack and Rankin, 2002; Halter et al., 2006). There is a need for further research on nursing students' experiences and satisfaction with online education, and correlating factors to promote the quality of online learning. Social presence is one factor that has been shown to affect outcomes such as satisfaction and perceived learning in online courses (Gunawardena and Zittle, 1997).

The purpose of this study was to assess social presence in online nursing courses and its relationship to student satisfaction and perceived learning. The theoretical framework …

Developing Higher Consciousness: The Effects Of Mantra Meditation On The Development Of Self-Actualizing Qualities In Teachers, Lisa M. Klein

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study focuses on teachers ranging from the elementary to secondary level who have practiced mantra meditation for at least three years while also teaching. By utilizing the methodology of portraiture, this study endeavored to determine if the practice of mantra meditation creates self-actualizing qualities in teachers, how teachers who practice mantra meditation perceive their response to stress and conflict in the classroom, and how teachers who practice mantra meditation perceive the effects of meditation on their personal and professional lives. The methodology of portraiture was chosen because according to Lawrence-Lightfoot, "with its focus on narrative, with its use …

Increasing Social Responsiveness In A Child With Autism: A Comparison Of Music And Non-Music Interventions, Emily Finnigan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many children with autism have difficulty engaging in social interaction with others. This study sought to determine the effects of using both a music intervention and a non-music intervention on the social responsive and social avoidant behaviours of a preschool child with autism. A single-subject alternating treatment design was used in which the two interventions were presented in a similar fashion except for the addition of music during the music intervention. Data were collected over a total of 12 treatment sessions for various social responsive and avoidant behaviours. Results indicated that the music intervention was more effective than the non-music …

A Narrative Blind Eye: Visual Disability Representation Within The Brothers Grimm Folk Tales, Leah Laxdal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

"A Narrative Blind Eye: Visual Disability Representation within the Brothers Grimm Folk Tales" explores the disability representations within Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm's nineteenth-century Children's and Household Tales. The Grimm tales contain numerous characters (dwarfs, giants, one-eyed daughters, etc.). Often the disabled Grimm characters are villains or disabled on account of the tale's villain, connecting blindness metaphorically to evil or punishment. The Grimms feature disability as a narrative device, suggesting that disability embodies deviance and/or non-ideal Otherness. Specifically turning to, and building upon, the arguments within Narrative Prosthesis by David Mitchell and Sharon Snyder, Enforcing Normalcy by Lennard J. Davis, …

Responding To Distressed Clients: Therapist Influence On Client Emotional Processing, Terence Singh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined therapist responses to distressed clients as they occurred moment-by-moment within single sessions of psychotherapy. Researchers examined the videotaped sessions of a sample of 26 therapist-client dyads. Results indicated the following: (i) Hierarchical cluster analysis revealed two clusters of therapist responding, labeled Reflection-focused and Emotional Experience-focused. Clients treated by an Emotional Experience-focused therapist were more likely to experience good outcome; (ii) Good outcome was more likely to be preceded by more frequent therapist intervention shifts, and; (iii) Emotional variability did not mediate the relationship between depth of therapist experiential focus and outcome. However, further analyses revealed that the …

The Impact Of Higher Education On The Job Preparedness And Job Performance Of Turkish National Police Officers, Erhan Beyhan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Turkish National Police converted its 9-month Police Training Schools to 2-year college degree programs in 2001 in their pursuit to improve the quality of police officers' job performance, police job preparedness levels, and the police service as a whole. The purpose of this study is to investigate the actual benefits of this higher education policy by empirically measuring and comparing the job preparedness and job performance of police officers with higher education and police officers without higher education. This study consists of two quantitative parts. The first part measured the job performance construct with multiple indicators, including performance evaluation …

Exploring The Interplay Of Masculinities And Homophobia In The High School Climate, Sandra Bortolin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis reports a qualitative analysis of heterosexual males' perception of school climate for lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) peers. Fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with males 16-18 who have attended a public or Catholic secondary school. Findings indicate that gay youth often occupy lower status positions in the school's social hierarchy. Heterosexual males did not typically want to associate with or be friends with gay peers for fear of being perceived as gay and being "hit on". Verbal harassment against LGB youth was common and was reportedly not dealt with by teachers. Homosexuality was not addressed in the classroom. …

Educational Handheld Video: Examining Shot Composition, Graphic Design, And Their Impact On Learning, Jason Hutchens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Formal features of video such as shot composition and graphic design can weigh heavily on the success or failure of educational videos. Many studies have assessed the proper use of these techniques given the psychological expectations that viewers have for video programming (Hawkins et al., 2002; Kenny, 2002; Lang, Zhou, Schwardtz, Bolls, & Potter, 2000; McCain, Chilberg, & Wakshlag, 1977; McCain & Repensky, 1972; Miller, 2005; Morris, 1984; Roe, 1998; Schmitt, Anderson, & Collins, 1999; Sherman & Etling, 1991; Tannenbaum & Fosdick, 1960; Wagner, 1953). This study examined formal features within the context of the newly emerging distribution method of …

Exploring School Choice For Muslim Children In Windsor, Ontario, Canada, Ghazala Ahmed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explored reasons behind Muslim parents' decisions to choose either an Islamic or a public school for their children, their experiences with the schools where their children attend, and their views about their female children's experiences with the Islamic dress code, especially the Hijab. A qualitative research approach was employed, in which twelve parents were interviewed.

Findings of the study indicate that Muslim parents value the harmony between the school and home environments; conversely, for public school Muslim parents their children are alienated in school activities because of religion. The study reveals that parents with children in public schools …

Visible Muslims In A Non-Muslim World: Muslim Girls' Experiences In Canadian Public High Schools, Rana N. Diab

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Through an analysis of the hijab as a marker, this study focuses on the constructions of Muslim girls' identity. Ten Muslim girls who wear a hijab and attend public high schools in Windsor, Ontario were provided with a venue to express their perceptions of educational experiences in the Canadian education system. The results of this study challenge the literature that emphasizes the negative experiences and external obstacles that seemingly hinder Muslims from practicing and expressing their Muslim identity in a non-Muslim society. Although participants noted incidents of discrimination and negative stereotyping as problematic issues, they viewed their overall education as …

Communicative Language Teaching In An Eap Program: A Study Of International Students' English Language Acquisition, Anouchka Plumb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The development and implementation of effective second language teaching approaches for English as second language learners continues to receive increased attention in education research. This qualitative case study examined the role of communicative language teaching (CLT) in acquiring English as a second language and aims to provide an outlook on English second language learners' views on perceived communicative teaching approaches; self-reported language improvement in reading, writing, speaking and listening; and forms of feedback preference. The findings of the study point to communicative language teaching approaches that are perceived to be valuable in developing English second language acquisition and confirm the …

A Pilot Study Evaluating The Effectiveness Of A Computer-Based Gaming Strategy In Educating School-Age Children About Vehicle Safety, Amanda S. Bechberger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Road-related crashes are a serious public health issue that continue to kill and injure thousands of children and young adults every year (World Health Organization, 2007). Elevated fatality and injury rates coupled with the low rates of booster seat use among 4- to 8-year old children illustrate the critical need for strategies to improve the rate of booster seat use in this population. The increasing popularity of gaming among children offers an opportunity to use computer games to teach injury prevention to this age group. This pilot study investigated the effectiveness of a computer-based gaming strategy for educating school-aged children …

Training Counselors: An Efficacy Study Of A New Teaching Method, Andreea Cristina Andreescu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research indicates an increasing number of training programs, teaching trainees to establish an adequate working alliance with clients. Such programs appear effective, but suffer from methodological shortcomings. As a response, a training program for undergraduate psychology students has been designed at the University of Windsor. The current study is assessing the effectiveness of the program. The program was formulated in an experiential-integrated fashion. Twenty-four advanced psychology students underwent twelve weeks of training. Students practiced with volunteers in 45-minute counseling sessions in four occasions throughout the program. The program outcome was reflected in the improvement of helping skills compared to baseline, …