Caught Off Guard: The Fascinating Power Of Surprise In Capturing Covert And Overt Attention, Shahd Abu-Jazar

Brescia Psychology Undergraduate Honours Theses

Attention is a critical mental process that allows individuals to focus on pertinent information and filter out distractors. This study's primary goal was to examine how surprise draws attention, which is significant as it may have an impact on memory and learning. This study examines the influence of surprise on attentional capture, both overt and covert, across different levels of outcome predictability in everyday situations using repeated measures ANOVAs. Building on the concept that unexpected events can trigger heightened alertness and memory encoding, we hypothesized that scenarios with less-known outcomes would elicit a stronger attentional response compared to known and …

Hands-On History: Applying A Strong Like Two People Approach To Archaeology Education, Kaylee Woldum

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis explores Indigenization in the context of archaeology and Western education at the Tundra Science and Culture Camp (TSCC), a government-run summer camp in the Northwest Territories, Canada. By collaborating with Indigenous knowledge holders, it begins the process of re-designing the Human History session—a program within the TSCC that focuses on archaeology and the cultural sites around the camp—to incorporate more Indigenous pedagogies and knowledge. Drawing on semi-structured interviews and participant observation, this thesis outlines an attempt to Indigenize the Human History session at the 2022 TSCC, its successes and challenges, and diverse conceptions of what it would mean …

Crosswords As An Educational Tool, Nicole Lippay

Final Projects Winter 2023

Crossword puzzles have been used in the classroom as tools to help students synthesize information. This is particularly well-researched in medical school capacities, where students have to learn a significant amount of precise terminology, and quickly but often lack the opportunity to practice and reinforce key concepts (Saxena et al, 2009). Crosswords offer the opportunity for active learning, problem solving and critical thinking (Kolte et al, 2017). In the Library Information Science (LIS) field, there's an opportunity to study how crosswords might be effective learning tools, particularly in the area of cataloging.

Topic Modeling, Byron H. Chung

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Given the growing recognition of the role of teachers as agents in 21st century learning environments, this proposed study builds on our work on ‘Teacher Design Knowledge’ (TDK) as critical capabilities for teachers in designing and implementing innovative curriculum, pedagogy, and technology through researcher-practitioner collaboration (SSHRC Insight Grant 2017-2024, Kim, M. S., PI). As one of TDK competencies, teacher data literacies (TDL), the ability to derive meaningful information from multimodal data (e.g., drawings, 3D modeling, gaze, gestures, emotions) in student learning, is a relatively new concept for teachers in contexts of cultural and linguistic diversity. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has …

Advancing Type 2 Diabetes As A Condition For Primary Referral To Physiotherapy In Canada, Sarah M. Janssen

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Obesity and sedentary lifestyle are increasingly prevalent risk factors for type 2 diabetes (T2D), characterized by high blood glucose levels. Adoption and maintenance of healthy eating, physical activity, and exercise is recommended for lowering blood glucose and weight management. Physiotherapists are experts in prescribing safe, effective exercise to optimize health for people with co-morbid health conditions. However, T2D is not a primary condition for referral to physiotherapy services in Canada. The overall question guiding a series of three related studies was, What is the current education and perspectives of Canadian physiotherapists about their role in managing T2D? Study one surveyed …

Social Determinants Of Stroke Hospitalization And Mortality In United States’ Counties, Randhir Sagar Yadav, Durgesh Chaudhary, Venkatesh Avula, Shima Shahjouei, Mahmoud Reza Azarpazhooh, Vida Abedi, Jiang Li, Ramin Zand

Neuroscience Institute Publications

(1) Background: Stroke incidence and outcomes are influenced by socioeconomic status. There is a paucity of reported population-level studies regarding these determinants. The goal of this ecological analysis was to determine the county-level associations of social determinants of stroke hospitalization and death rates in the United States. (2) Methods: Publicly available data as of 9 April 2021, for the socioeconomic factors and outcomes, was extracted from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The outcomes of interest were “all stroke hospitalization rates per 1000 Medicare beneficiaries” (SHR) and “all stroke death rates per 100,000 population” (SDR). We used a multivariate …

Non-Pharmacological Management Of Community Dwelling Individuals With Osteoporosis Or At Risk Of Developing Osteoporosis, Christina Ziebart

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Background:

Osteoporosis is a bone disease that increases the risk of fractures. In adults aged 50-65 years, a wrist fracture is usually the first sign of osteoporosis. Fracture risk increases if these individuals are not taught to exercise, eat properly, and/or identify fall risk factors early in their diagnosis.

Methods:

A meta-analysis was conducted to determine whether a home fall hazard identification program could reduce the risk of falls in community dwelling adults and an overview of exercise in individuals with a distal radius fracture (DRF). CINHAL, PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and Psych INFO were used to identify articles. A survey …

Screen Time Use And Children’S Mental Health During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Amira Hmidan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Parents with school-aged children have experienced numerous hardships during the 2020-2021 academic school year, including school closures, lockdowns, and travel restrictions. Higher levels of parent stress and screen time may adversely impact children’s behavioural outcomes. This longitudinal survey study examined the associations of parent stress, parenting styles, and prolonged screentime on internalizing and externalizing behaviours in school-aged children. Parents (n = 108) completed survey measures at two time points over the 2020-2021 academic school year. Two generalized estimating equations were performed. There was a significant positive interaction between parent stress and screen time (B = < .001; p = .001) …

The Past, Present, And Future Direction Of Computer Science Curriculum In K-12 Education, Steven Floyd

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This integrated article thesis provides an analysis of the past, present, and potential future state of Computer Science (CS) in K-12 education. Once implemented in optional courses at the secondary level, CS concepts and skills are now being integrated into other subject areas such as mathematics, science, and technology and other grades including K-8. This new state of K-12 CS education is explored through an analysis of 1) related theory reflected in the literature, 2) historical secondary school CS curriculum, 3) enrolment data and important issues related to equity, diversity, and inclusion, and 4) K-8 CS-related curriculum approaches currently being …

Leveraging Machine Learning To Understand How Emotions Influence Equity Related Education: Quasi-Experimental Study, Javeed Sukhera, Hasan Ahmed

Paediatrics Publications

Background: Teaching and learning about topics such as bias are challenging due to the emotional nature of bias-related discourse. However, emotions can be challenging to study in health professions education for numerous reasons. With the emergence of machine learning and natural language processing, sentiment analysis (SA) has the potential to bridge the gap. Objective: To improve our understanding of the role of emotions in bias-related discourse, we developed and conducted a SA of bias-related discourse among health professionals. Methods: We conducted a 2-stage quasi-experimental study. First, we developed a SA (algorithm) within an existing archive of interviews with health professionals …

Indigenous Identity In The Canadian University, Jamie Powless

2022 Cohort

The Head and Heart program has provided me, along with other Indigenous scholars at Western the opportunity to explore the foundations of Indigenous research and then a chance to conduct our own research projects. Through this experience, I had the chance to begin my research project from scratch, and for my own research question as opposed to joining an already existing project. For my research I took a personal approach and examined the Indigenous scholar experience and how the topic of Indigenous identity is challenged within the Canadian post-secondary education system.

Common Worlding Pedagogies In Early Childhood Education: Storying Situated Processes For Living And Learning In Ecologically Precarious Times, Kelly-Ann Macalpine

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

As a society, we must prepare children for unknown futures—to live well amid the ruinous effects of ongoing human-induced climate change and the growing waste crisis. Given these enormous challenges, early childhood education for the 21st century requires a significant shift in pedagogical and curricular approaches that are both creative enough and receptive enough to meet them. This integrated thesis is based on a project that engages with the problematics that surround educating future generations faced by ecological devastation. I do this by engaging with common worlding pedagogies in early childhood education, in two different classrooms in two different locations. …

Fostering Healthy Student-Teacher Relationships Through Mathematics: A Student's Perspective, Emily Catherine Beaulieu

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

No abstract provided.

Going With The Flow: The Evolution Of Menstrual Education In England, 1850 To 1930, Madeline M. Hiltz

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The history of menstrual education has typically been overshadowed by other aspects of Victorian sexuality and female reproductive history. This thesis seeks to shine a light on menstrual education in the mid-nineteenth and early-twentieth century in England. More specifically, it examines the role that male and female physicians played producing and disseminating information on menstrual management. Despite a scarcity of documented experiences outlining the reality of menstrual education and menstrual management, an analysis of surviving literary materials, including health advice literature, periodicals and magazines, medical studies, new letters and pamphlets, help indicate cultural conceptions of menstruation. It becomes clear that …

Speech Language Pathologists (Slps) Enactment Of Dysphagia Education And Counselling In Tbi Inpatient Rehabilitation., Stephanie Muir-Derbyshire

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Abstract

Background

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) incidence rates are rising significantly across all age groups, often requiring complex and expensive medical care. Common causes of TBI include motor-vehicle accidents, violence, sport injuries and falls. For some individuals, inpatient rehabilitation (IPR) is used as a care pathway to provide intervention(s) for the physiological, psychological, neurobehavioural and cognitive-communication sequelae of a TBI.Many patients with a TBI will also experience dysphagia, an impairment or disorder of deglutition (swallowing). Dysphagia affects hydration, nutritional intake, respiration and can significantly impact an individual’s quality of life. It has been identified as a contributing factor in the …

Examining The Correlates Of Adolescent Food And Nutrition Knowledge, Rachel Brown, Jamie A. Seabrook, Saverio Stranges, Andrew F. Clark, Jess Haines, Colleen O’Connor, Sean Doherty, Jason A. Gilliland

Paediatrics Publications

Food literacy is a set of skills and knowledge that are integral to diet. It is common among teenagers to not have basic food literacy skills needed to consume a healthy diet. This study examined: (1) the current state of food and nutrition knowledge among adolescents 13–19 years of age in the census metropolitan area of London, ON, Canada; and (2) correlates of food knowledge and nutrition knowledge among adolescents. Data for this study were drawn from baseline youth and parent survey data collected from a larger population health intervention study. Statistical analysis of the survey data indicates that higher …

Mental Health Literacy And Ontario Secondary School Curriculum, Christine J. Manser

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Student centered mental health initiatives have seen a rise in implementation as the mental health risks for adolescents and young people are becoming more recognized. However, regardless of these initiatives, youth continue to demonstrate poor mental health which can result in stigmatizing attitudes and behavior, low self-esteem, poor help-seeking behavior, and increased suicide risk. To explore the disconnect between the goal of educational initiatives and their current demonstrated outcomes, this dissertation utilized social constructivist learning theory and school-based mental health literacy to conduct a content analysis of curriculum documents and textbooks in use within Ontario high schools. This case study …

Developing Competencies For Public Policy Advocacy: A Comparative Case Analysis, Amy L. Lewis

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

While health care and social service students in Ontario are expected to graduate with competencies in policy advocacy, the lack of knowledge and skills negatively impacts their participation as licensed providers. This study used an exploratory, comparative case study methodology with a critical theory lens to identify the process of how community-based organizations engaged in public policy advocacy to create educational competencies for undergraduate curricula. Eight organizational leaders participated in semi-structured interviews that were transcribed and analyzed both inductively and deductively using major concepts from Kingdon’s multiple streams theory to distinguish the policy advocacy process and Bloom’s taxonomy to identify …

Competency-Based Assessment Tool For Pediatric Tracheotomy: International Modified Delphi Consensus, Evan J. Propst, Nikolaus E. Wolter, Stacey L. Ishman, Karthik Balakrishnan, Ashley R. Deonarain, Deepak Mehta, George Zalzal, Seth M. Pransky

Paediatrics Publications

Objectives/Hypothesis: Create a competency-based assessment tool for pediatric tracheotomy. Study Design: Blinded, modified, Delphi consensus process. Methods: Using the REDCap database, a list of 31 potential items was circulated to 65 expert surgeons who perform pediatric tracheotomy. In the first round, items were rated as “keep” or “remove,” and comments were incorporated. In the second round, experts were asked to rate the importance of each item on a seven-point Likert scale. Consensus criteria were determined a priori with a goal of 7 to 25 final items. Results: The first round achieved a response rate of 39/65 (60.0%), and returned questionnaires …

Training, Barriers, And Self-Efficacy To Physical Education Instruction, Stephanie Truelove

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The overall purpose of this dissertation was to explore the physical education (PE) training that generalist and PE specialist elementary school teachers receive during their pre-service programs across the province of Ontario, and the differences between these two types of teachers regarding barriers faced and self-efficacy in instructing PE. Using an online survey, Study 1 aimed to examine and compare the PE teaching self-efficacy of generalist and PE specialist elementary teachers across Canada and the barriers to instruction faced. Study 2 qualitatively explored the experiences of elementary school generalist and PE specialist teachers when instructing PE, and the perceived barriers …

Constructions Of Learning Disabilities Within Contemporary Canadian Society: Discourse, Biopower And Governmentality, Bea Waterfield

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Understandings and definitions of disability have changed and varied across social and political climates within North America, affecting the ways in which disabled individuals are treated, represented, and responded to, within various facets of society. Learning disabilities, in particular, have been subject to change and language surrounding the label has shifted across different socio-political contexts. The objective of this research project was to explore and document the dominant discourse constructing learning disabilities within Canada, the various individuals involved with constructing the category of learning disability and how such constructions have informed broader, treatment approaches to learning disabilities within Canada. A …

Perioperative Teaching And Feedback: How Are We Doing In Canadian Otl-Hns Programs?, Z. Chaudhry, M. Campagna-Vaillancourt, M. Husein, R. Varshney, K. Roth, A. Gooi, Lhp Nguyen

Paediatrics Publications

Background: Discrepancies between resident and faculty perceptions regarding optimal teaching and feedback during surgery are well known but these differences have not yet been described in Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery (OTL-HNS). The objectives were thus to compare faculty and resident perceptions of perioperative teaching and feedback in OTL-HNS residency programs across Canada with the aim of highlighting potential areas for improvement. Methods: An anonymous electronic questionnaire was distributed to residents and teaching faculty in OTL-HNS across Canada with additional paper copies distributed at four institutions. Surveys consisted of ratings on a 5-point Likert scale and open-ended questions. Responses …

Eight Years After An International Workshop On Myotonic Dystrophy Patient Registries: Case Study Of A Global Collaboration For A Rare Disease., Libby Wood, Guillaume Bassez, Corinne Bleyenheuft, Craig Campbell, Louise Cossette, Aura Cecilia Jimenez-Moreno, Yi Dai, Hugh Dawkins, Jorge Alberto Diaz Manera, Celine Dogan, Rasha El Sherif, Barbara Fossati, Caroline Graham, James Hilbert, Kristinia Kastreva, En Kimura, Lawrence Korngut, Anna Kostera-Pruszczyk, Christopher Lindberg, Bjorn Lindvall, Elizabeth Luebbe, Anna Lusakowska, Radim Mazanec, Giovani Meola, Liannna Orlando, Masanori P Takahashi, Stojan Peric, Jack Puymirat, Vidosava Rakocevic-Stojanovic, Miriam Rodrigues, Richard Roxburgh, Benedikt Schoser, Sonia Segovia, Andriy Shatillo, Simone Thiele, Ivailo Tournev, Baziel Van Engelen, Stanislav Vohanka, Hanns Lochmüller

Paediatrics Publications

Background

Myotonic Dystrophy is the most common form of muscular dystrophy in adults, affecting an estimated 10 per 100,000 people. It is a multisystemic disorder affecting multiple generations with increasing severity. There are currently no licenced therapies to reverse, slow down or cure its symptoms. In 2009 TREAT-NMD (a global alliance with the mission of improving trial readiness for neuromuscular diseases) and the Marigold Foundation held a workshop of key opinion leaders to agree a minimal dataset for patient registries in myotonic dystrophy. Eight years after this workshop, we surveyed 22 registries collecting information on myotonic dystrophy patients to assess …

An Environmental Scan Of Academic Pediatric Emergency Medicine At Canadian Medical Schools: Identifying Variability Across Canada, Jennifer D. Artz, Garth Meckler, Niran Argintaru, Roderick Lim, Ian G. Stiell

Paediatrics Publications

Objective To complement our environmental scan of academic emergency medicine departments, we conducted a similar environmental scan of the academic pediatric emergency medicine programs offered by the Canadian medical schools.Methods We developed an 88-question form, which was distributed to pediatric academic leaders at each medical school. The responses were validated via email to ensure that the questions were answered completely and consistently.Results Fourteen of the 17 Canadian medical schools have some type of pediatric emergency medicine academic program. None of the pediatric emergency medicine units have full departmental status, while nine are divisions, two are sections, and three have no …

Electrical Stimulation For Treating Pressure Injuries: Evaluation Of A Knowledge Mobilization Project, Lyndsay Orr

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Pressure ulcers (PrU) are a secondary health complication that cause increased morbidity, mortality and decreased quality of life. PrUs have also been shown to have a significant financial burden on the healthcare system. Current best practice guidelines strongly recommend the use of Electrical Stimulation (E-Stim) to increase healing rates of PrUs. Unfortunately, there has been lack of uptake for the use of E-Stim in clinical practice. To address this gap in practice, a knowledge mobilization project called the E-Stim Collaboration Project was developed. The aim of this dissertation was to 1) determine if an education program can change knowledge, attitudes …

Development And Validation Of A Probe Tube Placement Training Simulator, Robert Koch

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

For over 90% of individuals with hearing loss, hearing aids are the primary method of treatment. Recent studies have shown that most hearing aids are not personalized properly to patients, resulting in poor hearing outcomes. Poor training methods has been proposed as a possible reason for these findings.

A training simulator was developed consisting of a mannequin head with flexible, anatomically correct ears, and an optical tracking system for tracking the insertion of diagnostic equipment into a 3D printed ear canal. The simulator provides an outlet for trainees to practice their clinical procedures while receiving validated feedback, without the need …

Pain In Children With Developmental Disabilities: Development And Preliminary Effectiveness Of A Pain Training Workshop For Respite Workers, Lara M. Genik, C. Meghan Mcmurtry, Lynn M. Breau, Stephen P. Lewis, Tamlyn Freedman-Kalchman

Paediatrics Publications

Introduction: Pain in children with intellectual disabilities (ID) is common and complex, yet there is no standard pain training for their secondary caregivers (ie, respite staff). Objectives: Determine perceived pain training needs/preferences of children's respite staff (phase 1) and, use this information combined with extant research and guidelines to develop and pilot a training (phase 2). Methods: In phase 1, 22 participants responded to questionnaires and engaged in individual interviews/focus groups about their experiences with pain in children with ID, and perceived training needs/preferences. In phase 2, 50 participants completed knowledge measures and rated the feasibility of, and their own …

Mathematical Abilities In Children With Developmental Language Disorder, Alexandra M. Cross, Lisa M.D. Archibald, Marc F. Joanisse

Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Publications

Purpose. The present paper provides a scoping review of the literature on mathematical abilities in developmental language disorder (DLD). Children with DLD typically struggle with learning in school, however the mechanism by which DLD impacts academic success is unclear. Mathematics involves demands in the multiple domains, and therefore holds potential for examining the relationship between language and academic performance on tasks mediated by verbal and non-verbal demands.

Methods. A scoping review was performed via computerized database searching to examine literature on mathematics and DLD. The 21 papers meeting inclusion criteria compared children with typical development or DLD on various tasks …

Candid: A Framework For Linking Executive Function And Education, Niki H. Kamkar, J. B. Morton

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

The close association between executive functions (EFs) and educational achievement has led to the idea that targeted EF training might facilitate learning and goal-directed behavior in the classroom. The evidence that training interventions have long-lasting and transferable effects is however decidedly mixed (Melby-Lervåg and Hulme, 2013; Simons et al., 2016). The goal of the current paper is to propose a new CanDiD framework for re-thinking EF and its links to education. Based on findings from basic EF research, the proposed CanDiD framework highlights dynamic and contextual influences on EF and emphasizes the importance of development and individual differences for understanding …

The Rural Effect On School Closures And The Limitations Within The Provincial Policy Framework, Shannon Geraghty

MPA Major Research Papers

As costs rise, the Ministry of Education and school boards have cut costs by closing schools. The social fabric and economic growth of rural areas are negatively affected by school closures. On the basis of an examination of recent school closure processes in the Upper Canada District School Board in eastern Ontario, this paper recommends explicit incorporation of economic impacts in closure studies, reform to the distribution of provincial education funding, and greater public engagement.