Student Success Behaviors And Gender: Exploring The Impact On First-Year Students, Sarah Ramage

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

College demographics are rapidly evolving, and one area of concern is the enrollment and retention rates of male students. The National Center for Educational Statistics reported that in 2010, 57 percent of undergraduate students were female (Weaver-Hightower, 2010). The same report stated that the percentage was projected to grow to 59 percent by 2018 (Weaver-Hightower, 2010). Between 1997 and 2007, female enrollment has risen dramatically faster than male enrollment, with a 29 percent jump in 10 years. Male enrollment increased by 22 percent in the same time (Weaver-Hightower, 2010). Over time, this growing gender imbalance in higher education has been …

The Effects Of A Poverty Simulation On Immediate And Sustained Participant Empathy, Doris Mann

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Using the Attribution and the Experiential Learning Theory seated within Constructivism, this study examined the effect of the poverty simulation, Community Action Poverty Simulation (CAPS), on empathetic attitude toward those who experience poverty. 778 participants represented the fields of education, health care, and social work. Measures of immediate and sustained empathetic attitude were conducted using the Basic Empathy Scale (BES) (Jolliffe & Farrington, 2006). Findings indicate that there is immediate empathetic attitude change for the participants, but no sustained empathetic attitude change. Some of the variables considered included gender, race, age, income, voluntary/in-voluntary and others. This study supports the need …

Structural Poverty And College Enrollment: The Impact Of Rural American Determinism, Bryan Robinson

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Abstract

The pervasiveness of generational poverty in the US and the potential of a postsecondary (college) education to serve as an ameliorator and catalyst for societal change – both in individual, familial and broader community contexts – is established in the literature (Enberg & Wolniak, 2010; Kaufman, 2014; Turley, 2009; Rank, Yoon & Hirschl, 2015). Rank et al. (2003) found that American poverty is structural in nature as it relates to the labor market and related ineffective social policy, resulting in predictable and repetitious cycles of systemic and generational poverty, which is particularly relevant in rural contexts. Tickameyer and Duncan …

School Counselor Transgender Advocacy Development: An Exploratory Qualitative Study, Jack F. Jacobs

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School counselors have an opportunity to develop as an advocate for their transgender students who face many adversities in life. However, there exists a paucity of research specific to school counselor advocacy and no literature specific to school counselors developing as advocates for transgender students. In an attempt to address the gaps in the literature, the purpose of this qualitative research was to explore how three school counselors in a large urban school district in the southeast United States participating in an inquiry group developed as transgender advocates while completing a passion project. The conceptual framework components of the study …

A Demonstration Project To Address Juvenile Drug Addiction, Mary Ellen Broaddus

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The rise in adolescent drug use and addiction is becoming a worldwide phenomenon. An eleven year study of youth in European countries found drug use widespread and increasing (Molinaro, Sicilian, & Curzio, 2011). In 2013 there were over 2.8 million new users of illicit drugs, over half of whom were under 18 years of age (‘Drug Facts’, 2015).

Adolescents are at unique risk because biochemical distinctions in their brains, when compared with adults, prompt more risk-taking behaviors (Gallager, 2014). Health risks are considerable and include hypertension, stroke, convulsions and seizures, and liver disease such as cirrhosis and hepatitis. In 2013 …

Transition For Students With Autism: A Multi-Case Qualitative Study Exploring How Male Students With Autism Experience Postsecondary Education, Christine Bojanowski

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This dissertation was multi-case study designed to examine how three male students with autism experienced the academic, social, and self-advocacy aspects of postsecondary education. The study was driven by the following conceptual framework concepts: entrainment, social capital, self-determination, and disability studies. The research question for the study was: How do male students with autism experience the academic, social, and self-advocacy needs of postsecondary education from the perspectives of the students themselves, their parents, their professors, their disability coordinators, and their tutors? Data were collected via multiple interviews with the students, their parents, their professors, and the disability coordinators at their …

Implementing An Evidence-Based Education Program For Labor And Delivery Nurses In A Community Hospital Setting, Sara E. Humphrey

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Many factors contribute to the success of an organization. The nursing workforce is the guiding strength behind the delivery of safe patient care resulting in quality outcomes. Preparing the nursing staff to deliver safe care begins with the introduction of evidence based practice as a viable partner to clinical expertise and knowledge. Implementing an evidence based education program is a critical step in the process of integrating evidence into clinical practice. This paper focuses on the implementation of an evidence based education program or Labor and Delivery nurses in a community hospital setting. Evidence based education can promote competency development, …

A Study Of Lived Experiences Of African American Male Principals In Urban Elementary Schools, April E. Brooks

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The cycle of low performance of African American males continues to eliminate the pool of African American male educators who can serve as role models for future generations (Hale, 1986; Noguera, 2003). The objective of this dissertation is to understand the lived experience of African-American male principals post Brown v. Board of Education, and how they perceive their leadership experience working in an urban elementary school setting by exploring their commitment to black children, specifically black males. The questions examine the experience of AA male principals, their beliefs, perceptions, cultural intersections, and use of cultural resources in relation to AA …

Text Messaging Appointment Reminders To Increase Patient Appointment Adherence Within A Prevention And Wellness Program, Janel Willingham

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Abstract

Healthcare organizations want to provide quality care, decrease costs, and promote preventative services for the communities they service. Mobile health units have become an extension of many healthcare organizations and provide different types of services, such as mammography. Providing mammography and wellness exams on a mobile unit presents several challenges; appointment adherence is one of them. Mobile units typically travel to underserved areas to serve people at risk for various health conditions such as breast cancer. Breast cancer is estimated to affect over 250,000 women in the United States during 2017; women have a 1:8 lifetime risk of being …

The Impact Of Transformational Leadership On A Religious Congregation Of Women, Ha Nguyen

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Transformational leadership is considered the most effective form of leadership. Transformational leadership aims to inspire and empower followers to reach beyond what they thought possible and elicit extraordinary results. It motivates the followers and brings the best out of them. It looks to achieve true commitment and transcend the followers’ self-interests for the sake of others. The purpose of this study is to examine the impacts of transformational leadership on the outcomes of a religious congregation of women. More specifically, the study focuses on three aspects of outcomes: 1) vision statement; 2) culture of trust; and 3) performance. A quantitative …

Developing A Nursing Peer Review Program For Nurse Leaders, Holli D. Roberts

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Abstract

Peer review is described as a best practice in assessing professional competence for all levels of nurses. However, barriers exist in implementing peer review among nurses in leadership roles. Nurse leaders have limited interactions to observe how others manage their units making assessment of professional competence difficult. A gap analysis of peer review in an acute care hospital revealed a need to revise the peer review program for nurse leaders. The American Organization of Nurse Executives list of leadership competencies was used as a framework to revise peer review instruments for the nurse leaders. Each instrument included a self-assessment …

Identifying Ebook Pedagogies For Literacy Instruction: A Qualitative Content Analysis, Jamey Twitchell Herdelin

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Students in K-6 support becoming digital learners but many lack the digital skills needed to engage with ICTs such as eBooks. Some educators lack the technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK) to adjust instruction and meet students’ needs. This study examined the extant body of research on the use of eBooks with K-6 literacy instruction to address the perceived lack of effective evidence based practices needed to build self-efficacy. The goal: identify effective TPK regarding when, how, and why to integrate eBooks with K-6 literacy instruction. The research questions: According to the extant literature, what types of K-6 literacy practices and engagements …

Reading Fluency Instruction Of Students With Cognitive Disabilities Using A Multiple Probe Methodology, Sarah N. Merimee

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Despite making up less than one percent of the student population, students with significant cognitive disabilities have the right to receive the best education possible. There is currently a paucity of research regarding effective reading instruction within a comprehensive approach, especially in the area of fluency. The purpose of this investigation was to determine if there was a functional relation between repeated reading and choral reading and the word correct per minute oral reading of six high school students with significant cognitive disabilities. Additionally, the extent to which fluency impacts reading comprehension was also examined. Five of six participants demonstrated …

Identifying Ebook Pedagogies For Literacy Instruction: A Qualitative Content Analysis, Jamey T. Herdelin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Students in K-6 support becoming digital learners but many lack the digital skills needed to engage with ICTs such as eBooks. Some educators lack the technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK) to adjust instruction and meet students’ needs. This study examined the extant body of research on the use of eBooks with K-6 literacy instruction to address the perceived lack of effective evidence based practices needed to build self-efficacy. The goal: identify effective TPK regarding when, how, and why to integrate eBooks with K-6 literacy instruction. The research questions: According to the extant literature, what types of K-6 literacy practices and engagements …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Oral Language And Sight Word Acquisition In First-Grade Students, Becky L. Goetzinger

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This study examines the relationship between socioeconomic status, oral language, graphophonemic knowledge, and sight word acquisition in first-grade students. Previous research has shown that a relationship exists between socioeconomic status and oral language as well as between oral language and reading. The present study built on the research by extending these relationships to include high-frequency sight words, the words frequently targeted in early reading instruction. Across their first-grade year, 46 students were assessed on measures of receptive oral language, graphophonemic knowledge, and sight word knowledge. Students made significant progress on all measures indicating that first grade was a time of …

The Impact Of Parents Having Health Insurance On Their Children’S Health Care, Andrea Bennett

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Abstract of the Dissertation

This study examines the impact of parents having health insurance on their children’s health care in Kentucky. Child health insurance status and child a usual source of medical care are the two health care measures analyzed. The author builds on prior research that indicated more children would become insured if parents had access to affordable health insurance options. Through the implementation of the ACA in 2014, Kentucky expanded Medicaid eligibility to low-income adults up to 138% of the federal poverty level (FPL) and offered discounts on private health insurance plans for families in certain income thresholds …