Education Commons^™

Effects On Volunteer Peer Leaders Participating In A Health Promotion Program For U.S. Veterans, Leslie A. Patterson

Theses and Dissertations

Health-focused peer-led interventions demonstrate success in reducing risk-related behaviors among participants with chronic illnesses, yet few researchers have explored the effects of such interventions on the health of volunteer peer leaders who participate in the interventions. Using data from the project entitled, An RCT of a Peer Support Intervention to Improve Hypertension, this study explored volunteer peer leaders' self-care behaviors that contribute to blood pressure control in two hypertension interventions for U.S. veterans. Inspection of the study's findings demonstrated that volunteer peer leaders improved their health habits and hypertension knowledge significantly more than the peer groups they served. Findings revealed …

Illinois Secondary Agriculture Teachers' Perception Of Critical Development Of Undergraduate Experiences, Alicia Jo Gullidge

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this study is to provide the leadership of Illinois Agricultural Education with an understanding of what practicing teachers feel were the most important experiences in their pre-service teacher education program that ensured they were prepared for the classroom. This information can be used to streamline the teacher education programs and eliminate experiences that are perceived to be less relevant to preparing teachers. It is believed that this will assist with ongoing efforts dealing with recruitment and retention.

The area's that will be addressed in this survey will be demographics and pre-service events that future agriculture teachers are …

Perceptions Of Educational Administration Pre-Service Training By Former Illinois Superintendents Currently Serving As University Professors, Douglas Raymond Kaufman

Theses and Dissertations

PERCEPTIONS OF EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION PRE-SERVICE TRAINING BY FORMER ILLINOIS SUPERINTENDENTS

CURRENTLY SERVING AS UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS

Douglas R. Kaufman

179 pages December 2009

The 1983 publication of A Nation at Riskwas the start of the latest chapter in the long history and development of the public school superintendent. A Nation at Riskbrought new pressure and awareness on university programs that train school administrators coupled with suggestions on how to improve their effectiveness. This study describes many of these suggested reforms and investigates their effectiveness and rate of implementation.

This qualitative study describes the experiences and perceptions of pre-service learning …

Impact Of The Arthritis Foundation's Walk With Ease Program On Self-Efficacy, Quality Of Life And Pain Reduction In A Group Format, Kelly Nicole Reese

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of the Arthritis Foundation's Walk With Ease Program for individuals with self- or medically-diagnosed arthritis within a group format. The study also investigates the individuals' perceptions on self-efficacy, quality of life and pain reduction pre- and post- intervention.

Background: The prevalence of arthritis is increasing and this places a major burden on individuals, health systems and social care systems globally. Osteoarthritis, the most common arthritis condition, is a major cause of impaired mobility and disability for aging populations. Osteoarthritis affects millions of people around the world. Self-management programs like the Walk With Ease Program have …

Two Historiographical Studies In Musicology: Josquin Des Prez, A History Of Western Music, And The Norton Anthology Of Western Music: A Case Study; & In Search Of Medieval Irish Chant And Liturgy: A Chronological Overview Of The Secondary Literature, Marianne Yvette Kordas

Theses and Dissertations

STUDY ONE: This study examines the changes made to the biography and works of the Renaissance composer Josquin des Prez (c.1450-1521) through the eight editions of A History of Western Music and its associated score anthologies from 1960 to 2010. It is hypothesized that there are significant correlations between the changes made to Josquin's biography in musicological scholarship at large during the 1990s and the changes to his life and works made in the textbook.

STUDY TWO: The study of liturgy and chant in medieval Ireland not only informs our understanding of insular Christianity, but also illuminates the broader practices …

Investigating The Impact Of Formal Reflective Activities On Skill Adaptation In A Work-Related Instrumental Learning Setting, Kevin M. Roessger

Theses and Dissertations

In work-related, instrumental learning contexts the role of reflective activities is unclear. Kolb's (1985) experiential learning theory and Mezirow's transformative learning theory (2000) predict skill-adaptation as a possible outcome. This prediction was experimentally explored by manipulating reflective activities and assessing participants' response and error rates when an instrumentally learned skill is applied in a novel way (skill-adaptation). Participants were randomly assigned to three conditions (interference, reflection, or critical reflection) using three blocking variables: (a) gender, (b) age, and (c) reflective propensity. Participants then completed a behavioral skills training program with embedded reflective activities. Afterwards, participants were asked to complete a …

The Impact Of School Board Governance On Academic Achievement In Diverse States, Michael Ford

Theses and Dissertations

The overwhelming majority of students receiving a publicly funded education in the United States attend a public school in a district overseen by a democratically elected school board. Despite the dominant market share of democratically elected school boards, academic scholarship is increasingly focused on alternative governance structures such as mayoral control, charter schools, and school vouchers. Much research on traditional school boards is in fact skeptical of the capacity for such boards to positively impact academic performance. This dissertation shifts focus back to the almost 14,000 elected school boards in the United States, using original survey data from six strategically …

Facebook As A Facilitator Of Organizational Identification In Colleges And Universities: Exploring Relationships Among Educational Institutions, Student Tenure, And Interaction With Multiple Organizational Targets, Aimee Lau

Theses and Dissertations

Potential uses for Facebook are frequently studied in scholarly literature. To date, much of this research focuses on varied social uses available to Facebook members. More recently, scholars have turned to potential academic uses of Facebook, and more generally, how Facebook might be used in educational institutions such as colleges and universities. Each college and university is a unique organization and it is likely that each one uses Facebook in a variety of different ways. However, consistent to all colleges and universities is the goal of creating strong levels of identification between the student and the school so as to …

Laban Movement Analysis As A Methodology For Promoting Creativity And The Arts Across The Curriculum, Dr. Leonard Arvisu Cruz

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative participatory action-research study was to explore how four elementary school teachers incorporated Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) methodology, in particular the eight Effort Qualities (Dell, 1977) (light/soft or strong/powerful, fast/quick or slow/sustained, direct or indirect/flexible, and bound/close or free/open), across their curriculum and instruction. The study took place at both an urban parochial elementary school and an urban private school. Stories were collected through interviews, journals, lesson plans, e-mails, mail, and photos using a qualitative methodology over a period of 2½ months. Teachers came up with their own research questions and answered them throughout the study. …

Self-Regulation Of Saturated Fat Intake In Blue-Collar Employees: A Randomized Intervention Study, Rameshbabu Anjali

Theses and Dissertations

Blue-collar employees, compared to white-collar workers, are more vulnerable to developing chronic illness and are less likely to make healthy food choices. Saturated fat intake, an indicator of an unhealthy diet, is a major contributor to disease morbidity, mortality, and health care costs. Interventions directed at increasing self-regulatory skills for health behaviors could possibly serve to bolster one's sense of personal control in psychological and socio-economic realms. The current study was a 2 x 3 between-subjects repeated-measures randomized experimental design that examined the efficacy of a Self-regulation skill + Education intervention against an Education Only condition over a 6-week period, …

The Effects Of Attentional Focus Cues And Feedback On Motor Skill Learning In Children, Melanie Elizabeth Perreault

Theses and Dissertations

Considerable research over the past decade has produced overwhelming evidence to support the motor learning advantage associated with an external focus of attention. Despite this robust finding, very few studies have investigated attentional focus effects with children. This is surprising given that considerable information processing differences exist between children and adults that have the potential to influence motor performance and learning. Therefore, two studies were conducted to determine the effect of attentional focus cues and feedback on motor learning in children. In the first study, 42 children ages 9 to 11 were recruited from an afterschool program and randomly assigned …

A Case Study Seeking Indicators Of Coherence In A Pete Program, Robert John Doan

Theses and Dissertations

A Case Study Seeking Indicators of Coherence in a PETE Program

The purpose of this study was to examine the coherence of one facet of a single PETE program. Of particular interest was the role of one unique content course within the curriculum. Teacher educators have been challenged to respond to a variety of forces and to design more effective programs of teacher preparation. There are at least two challenges for teacher educators to respond to these challenges to their effectiveness. One challenge is that there is little empirical research focused on teacher educators themselves (Grundy & Hatton, 1995; John, …