"Shut Down And Closed Off": A Routine Activity Approach To Investigating The Relationship Between Covid-19 School Closures And Child Sexual Abuse Report Characteristics In Georgia, Spencer E. Riner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 created a public health crisis that led to an unprecedented number of school closures. A major concern raised by child advocates, law enforcement, and social service providers was the possible increase in undetected child abuse and maltreatment. Undergirding this concern was the belief that this mitigation effort might place child abuse victims and offenders within proximity for extended periods of time. While this was a significant concern, it has rarely been analyzed empirically. To address this gap in the literature, this thesis investigates how school closures impacted the characteristics of child sexual abuse (CSA) reports …

Improving Nutrition Screening Practice In The Hospitalized Heart Failure Patient Population, Amanda J. Bourgeois

DNP Projects

Background: Heart Failure is a disease known to affect nearly 6.5 million adults in the United States. Characterized by recurrent hospitalizations, heart failure significantly contributes to morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs in the United States and worldwide. Because malnutrition is prevalent in the heart failure population, healthcare providers must perform nutritional assessments on admission to intervene in the case of malnutrition, prevent deterioration, and improve patient prognosis. Without intervention and early identification of malnutrition, heart failure hospitalizations will remain a significant problem.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of an evidence-based educational program for cardiac …

Implementation Of Implicit Bias Training In A Doctor Of Nurse Practitioner Program, Macdana Selecon

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Background: Implicit bias in healthcare delivery refers to the unconscious mental associations healthcare providers make about patients from various social groups. Numerous studies suggest implicit bias contributes to health disparities primarily amongst marginalized groups. Furthermore, patients report a lower quality of communication from healthcare providers with higher implicit racial bias. In 2021, Assembly Bill 1407 (Nurses: Implicit Bias Courses Act) was passed to address the negative impact of bias on patient outcomes and requires California nursing schools to provide implicit bias training for nursing students.

Problem: All graduate nursing programs do not provide implicit bias (IB) training. As a result, …

Supporting Mental Health In Children By Providing Basic Skills And Knowledge Of Mental Health To Middle-School Teachers, Mariaelena Falcon

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Background: Mental health first aid training in middle school is an effective way to help teachers gain the necessary knowledge and confidence needed to support students with mental health distress and provide early interventions.

Local Problem: Lack of mental health training may result in teachers facing challenges in identifying and addressing mental health issues among their students. Specific problems resulting from this include limited awareness, insufficient skills, and strategies to effectively communicate and engage with students in mental health distress, and stigma surrounding mental health may make teachers uncomfortable discussing mental health.

Methods: The project will take place at Harper …

Minoritized Medical Students' Integration Of Professional Identities: A Phenomenological Study, Travis Erickson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study fills a gap in the extant literature by exploring how medical students with minoritized identities make meaning about sense of self-definition and emerging professional identities while enrolled in medical school. More specifically, the focus of this study explored how minoritized medical students perceived their sense of self and dimensions of identity were shaped during their medical education, and what perceptions these medical students had about how they manage their professional identity development. Emergent themes included: (a) making connections between self-definition and professional identities, (b) past experience of difference shaping identities, (c) self-definition with complexity, (d) fluidity as …

The Overture! Then Is Here-And-Now: Hindsight Is Twenty, Twenty?, Elena Kydd

Music Therapy Theses

My existence and presence as a Black woman and graduate scholar in music therapy have allowed me to share my experience of racial trauma and oppression in the hallways of GCSU’s music therapy program. Autoethnography is the method I use to write my thesis on the relationships between Blackness, pedagogy, and music therapy. Thus, I perform an evocative autoethnographic study that allows me to share my personal experience of racial trauma and oppression within the culture of music therapy and to critique the larger social structures of whiteness that disenfranchise and dominate me and other Black student music therapists (SMTs). …

Cm-Ii Meditation As An Intervention To Reduce Stress And Improve Attention: A Study Of Ml Detection, Spectral Analysis, And Hrv Metrics, Sreekanth Gopi

Master of Science in Computer Science Theses

Students frequently face heightened stress due to academic and social pressures, particularly in de- manding fields like computer science and engineering. These challenges are often associated with serious mental health issues, including ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), depression, and an increased risk of suicide. The average student attention span has notably decreased from 21⁄2 minutes to just 47 seconds, and now it typically takes about 25 minutes to switch attention to a new task (Mark, 2023). Research findings suggest that over 95% of individuals who die by suicide have been diagnosed with depression (Shahtahmasebi, 2013), and almost 20% of students …

Overcoming Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety: Practical Approaches In The Classroom, Sarah Day

Honors Projects

Foreign language speaking anxiety is a prevalent issue impacting language learners' confidence, participation, and overall language acquisition. With personal experiences as a language learner, a Spanish teacher in the United States, and an English teacher in Spain, I have observed how foreign language speaking anxiety affects learners from various demographics. Using a combined approach of personal observations, experiences as a language learner and teacher, and secondary research this project aims to address the primary sources of foreign language speaking anxiety among high school students and how both students and teachers can work to lessen the negative effects of foreign language …

Fostering Critical Thinking Through Simulation: An Integrative Review, Sarah Knapp, Raymonta Green

Master of Science in Nursing Final Projects

Over the past decade simulation has become a staple of nursing education with increasing use during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both manikin-based and virtual simulation are used to increase the preparedness of nursing students for their roles at the bedside. With the increasing experience-complexity gap, it is important that students enter the workforce prepared to effectively care for patients. Simulation allows students to work with a patient scenario without the possibility of injury; in simulation, mistakes are opportunities instead of harm. This integrative review searched the literature questioning if in pre-licensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing students, do virtual simulation and …

Implications Of California State Standards In Relation To Disordered Eating For School Aged Children, Jessica De Mott

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Food is a part of people’s lives, even when it is not acknowledged. It is distinctly tied to various cultures, ethnicities, and religions; with elements of restriction and gluttony abundant. Then, there is the complication of modern nutrition and health education that is taught in American, and more specifically in Californian schools. But, the education received on this issue has failed some students. Many school aged children reported that they experienced disordered eating, and learning content has further exacerbated this issue. This senior capstone research will examine the implications of California State Standards in relation to disordered eating for school …

Emergent Literacy And Early Reading Skills In Chinese-Mandarin: Evidence From Kindergarten And First-Grade Children, Yingshan Huang

<strong> Theses and Dissertations </strong>

The development of emergent literacy, a precursor to formal reading, has been linked to subsequent conventional literacy skills in Chinese children. The factors important for acquiring Chinese reading skills, such as phonological and morphological awareness, have primarily been studied in primary school children rather than preschoolers. The complete picture of factors contributing to early reading skills in Mandarin-speaking Chinese preschool children remains unclear. Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore emergent literacy and early reading skills in preschool and early school-aged children and investigate the connections between them to address gaps in existing literature. Methodology: A cross-sectional design …

Assessing The Impact Of Employee Wellness Programs On Healthcare Employee’S Weight, Reja F. Basyyoni

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Over 32% of employees in healthcare are clinically overweight with a BMI over 30. This level of obesity is more significant in healthcare than in other professions. (Aldana, 2021). The growing prevalence of diseases among employees in healthcare settings has increased the concern about their health, well-being, and productivity. (Aldana, 2021). Notably, the reduction of obesity rates holds the potential to avert 40 million instances of chronic diseases, encompassing hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular ailments. (Milken Institute Study, 2022) Therefore, maintaining a healthy body weight or shedding excess pounds is crucial to reduce the risk of developing these. As a …

Accessiblehomepro As An Educational Intervention: Preparing Occupational Therapy Students To Perform Home Safety Assessments, Laryn O'Donnell

Theses and Dissertations

The growing aging population of the United States urges occupational therapy practitioners to address the population's home safety needs. However, current occupational therapists need more resources and education to conduct comprehensive home safety evaluations. This study employed a pretest-posttest mixed methods design using occupational therapy students (n=17) to investigate the potential of AccessibleHomePRO as an educational intervention to enhance OT student knowledge of home safety assessments, perceived knowledge, which is known as the belief in your level of knowledge, and self-efficacy, which refers to the confidence in completing a task. AccessibleHomePRO (AHP) is a novel multifaceted assessment that leverages artificial …

Exploring Nursing Faculty Perceived Individual And Organizational Readiness To Use Online Simulation As A Teaching Strategy, Luz-Patricia Torres

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Problem: Academic institutions have employed online simulations in nursing education to meet the needs of the growing nursing student population and demands for distance learning. While some nursing educators have been trained to use simulation learning experiences, few have specific training in applying online simulation as a teaching strategy. With a dearth of evidence in the literature specific to the use of online simulation in nursing education, exploring nursing faculty's perceived individual and organizational readiness to do so is warranted to optimize the use of this innovation.

Purpose: This study explored the nursing faculty's perceived individual and organizational readiness …

Reimagining Associate Degree Nursing Education: An Insider’S View, Ntiense E. Otu

Theses and Dissertations

The demographics of nursing students in the Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) program are diverse, hence the need for nurse educators to prepare and handle the challenges faculty face in the ADN program. Although many pieces of literature have addressed different modalities of instructional delivery and teaching methods in nursing education, transition experience of nurse educators, and teaching preparation and readiness, these are not evident in the ADN programs in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV). The teaching preparation of nurse educators and their utilization of instructional methods in the ADN program in the RGV is limited in the literature. This study …

Promoting Patient Mobility To Decrease Hospital Length Of Stay, Saira Kinuthia

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Promoting patient mobility may reduce hospital-acquired complications and length of stay (LOS). Evidence-based studies have established that there is a correlation between immobility and an increased length of stay in the hospital. How can nurse-driven mobility interventions effectively increase patient mobility and reduce the risk of complications and length of hospital stay?

PICOT: The PICOT question that guided this project was: For veteran patients in the Progressive Care unit (PCU) of a medical center (P), will using the Johns Hopkins Highest Level of Mobility tool (JH-HLM) (I) compared to not using a mobility tool (C) decrease hospital length …

Improving Blood Pressure In Adults 65 Years And Older Via Weekly Telehealth Coaching, Janet Bathini

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Hypertension is a significant modifiable risk factor for CVD and is on the rise with advancing age. The management at the VA hospital's GEC clinic acknowledged the importance of managing HTN in veterans to lower their CVD risk and were open to implementing EBP to enhance HTN management.

PICOT: The PICOT question that guided this project was: In the primary care setting, in older adults > 65 years with BP > 140/90 (P), does weekly telehealth coaching (I) compared to no telehealth coaching (C), decrease their BP (O) over a 6-week period (T)?

Evidence: The evidence that guided this project …

Transformational Leadership Approach For Encouraging Historically Marginalized Communities To Access Admission To Naturopathic Medicine, Baljit Khamba

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Many healthcare training institutions lack cultural diversity, including naturopathic medicine. One potential reason is a lack of historically marginalized individuals applying to these medical schools. Attracting communities of colour to healthcare professions, like naturopathic medicine is important for improving healthcare access and delivery across all individuals within North America. This OIP explores the lack of diversity in applicants to the naturopathic medical program at a large multi-centre institution. The role that education and mentorship of faculty members can play to improve implicit biases and eventually encourage historically marginalized individuals to apply to the program is explored. Moreover, the OIP presents …

Comparison Of Physical Activity Levels Among School-Age Adolescents In The Rural And Urban Areas Of District Swat Kpk, Pakistan- An Analytical Cross-Sectional Study, Imran Uddin

Theses & Dissertations

Background: Obesity and overweight represent significant global public health concerns. Young adolescents are in particular increasingly experiencing obesity and overweight due to their sedentary lifestyles, excessive electronic media use, and lack of physical activity (PA). This trend is linked to the development of non-communicable diseases in later life. Moreover, data regarding the lack of PA is available in Pakistan, but a gap exists in the comparative analysis of physical activity levels between rural and urban adolescents. Rural and urban areas exhibit distinctions in both geographical settings and technological advancements, potentially influencing the PA levels of their respective inhabitants.
Purpose: The …

Crossing Schools, Language, And Migration Borders: The Experiences Of Latinx And Caribbean Emergent Multilingual Mothers In K-12 Public Schools, Michelle Angelo-Rocha

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Anti-immigrant sentiment and "English-only" ideologies have a significant impact on educational policies, practices, and processes. This includes parental engagement, the quality of education and life opportunities offered to immigrant children, and families’ well-being. The purpose of this study was to examine how Latinx and Caribbean mothers in Florida with various immigration statuses (i.e., undocumented, asylum seekers, refugees, international students, and mixed-status) and often with limited financial resources attempt to steward their children through the U.S. educational system. The research question was: How did emergent multilingual immigrant mothers experience the K-12 education system in Florida? The sub-question was: How did schools …

Psychological Safety And Conflict Management Among Nurse Practitioners In Interprofessional Teams, Scott Faust

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative correlational study explored the relationships between perceived psychological safety, conflict management styles, and perceived conflict management success among nurse practitioners (NPs) operating in interprofessional acute or critical care teams in the United States. Despite existing literature on conflict management and psychological safety, there is a noticeable gap concerning the interplay of these factors, specifically among NPs. A multi-item survey was developed from validated measures to assess psychological safety, conflict management success, and conflict management style. The final sample included 944 NPs. The findings revealed a statistically significant difference in the scores of perceived psychological safety, depending on the …

Expanding Use Of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitor (Sglt2i) In Managing Patients With Diabetes And Chronic Kidney Disease In Primary Care, Stephanie Wu

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: In 2022, the addendum of standards of medical care in diabetes management was annotated to recommend the broader use of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) to treat patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and diabetic nephropathy. Despite the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) efforts to include SLGT2i as a formulary, non-restrictive prescription in the primary care ordering menu, the overall utilization rates of SGLT2i remained relatively low in primary care.

PICOT: The PICOT question that guided this project was: In patients with DM and chronic kidney disease (CKD) (P), how does an evidence-based guideline algorithm bundle (I) …

Predicting Physical Therapy Student Clinical Reasoning In Practice Using Aligned Assessments In A Curricular Domain, Joy L. Moulton

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Clinical reasoning (CR) is a difficult concept to assess and is a leading cause of failure for outpatient clinical experiences for physical therapy (PT) students (Silberman et al., 2018). The purpose of this study was to determine to what degree didactic assessments of CR could predict CR in clinical practice utilizing Miller’s (1990) pyramid as a conceptual framework. Using a retrospective quantitative exploratory observational design, archived data were collected for graduates in the classes of 2022 and 2023 (N = 84) from a hybrid Doctor of Physical Therapy program. Each assessment pertained to the musculoskeletal domain of PT practice and …

The Relationship Between Organizational Culture And Working Parent Burnout, Ryan S. Monroe

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The purpose of this non-experimental quantitative study was to explore working parent burnout (WPB) and the relationships between organizational culture and WPB. Data were collected from working parents living with children <18 years in the United States (N=284) and analyzed using descriptive and statistical techniques to answer the research questions. The study had excellent internal reliability and yielded several key findings. The perceptions of study participants’ WPB was statistically significant. Gender, ethnicity, work schedule, work shift, income level, and marital status had statistically significant effects on WPB. Organizational culture types reflected statistically significant response effects for perceptions of WPB, with two reflecting very large response effects (clan and hierarchy) and two reflecting large response effects (adhocracy market). The results suggest that WPB was significant upon sample population and varied by different demographic variables. In addition, WPB appears to be significantly related to organizational culture; however, WPB cannot be predicted by organizational culture type. This study is the first known research to look at the relationship between WPB and organizational culture. While the study yielded several results, further research is needed to look at WPB and organizational cultural factors that may impact burnout among working parents.

A Reflection Of Experiences Of Adults With Type 1 Diabetes In Integrated Physical Education Classes, Kalleigh West

Human Movement Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the experiences of type 1 diabetics in integrated physical education classes. In this study, we interviewed young type 1 diabetic adults and asked them to reflect on their school-based physical education experiences. An interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) approach was adopted to guide data collection, analysis, and interpretation for this retrospective study. Eight participants (ages 19 to 32) were enrolled in this study, and semi-structured interviews focused on their physical education experiences acted as the primary data. Transcribed interview data were analyzed using an IPA approach. Three interrelated themes emerged …

Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Dental Hygiene Faculty Using Simulation With Dental Manikin Head Devices To Teach Local Anesthesia, Allison Castro

Doctor of Education Program Dissertations

This study employed a qualitative phenomenological methodology to explore the lived experiences of dental hygiene faculty using simulation with dental manikin head devices to teach local anesthesia. This study aimed to address the gap in the literature given the lack of discussion regarding dental manikin head simulation use in teaching local anesthesia within dental hygiene education. The purpose extended to explore if educators could guide students and ease anxieties by incorporating simulation in the development of treatment skills on a manikin before applying these skills to real-life interactions. John Dewey’s (1938) concept of interconnectedness between education and experience and David …

About Dying And Death: Thanatology's Place In Medical Curriculum, Jill Dombroski

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study explored how healthcare providers engage in advance care planning and end-of-life care conversations. The research explored what shapes their understanding and the extent to which concepts from thanatology they intuitively bring in, explicitly bring in, and maybe fail to recognize. To achieve this, constructivist grounded theory (CGT) methodology guided the design, data collection, analysis, and interpretation of the findings, which allowed for iteration across interviews and analysis with existing theories and data in the literature. The CGT design encouraged further engagement with the literature in an ongoing iterative fashion as well as with the analysis of the data. …

Effects Of Language Status, Community Advice, And Parent Beliefs On Heritage Language Maintenance In The U.S.: A Scoping Review, Jasmine Loeung

University Honors Theses

This scoping review examines the effects of language status, community advice to parents, and parents' beliefs on heritage language maintenance within a U.S. context. A total of 34 articles met the inclusion criteria. Four key themes were identified as follows: (1) status of a language in society affects maintenance, (2) parents' beliefs about the impact of the heritage language affect family language practices, (3) community advice impacts parents' beliefs and practices, (4) other factors affecting maintenance of the heritage language across generations. Overall, HL maintenance was observed as a dynamic relationship between a variety of factors, with individuals as well …

Decentering Whiteness In Nursing Education: The Pitfalls, Tensions, And Opportunities, Ivy Tran

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Statement of Research Problem: The Truth and Reconciliation 94 Calls to Action (TRC) (2015) calls for the implementation of accessible and appropriate Indigenous health education. Schools of Nursing are increasingly implementing various approaches to teach Indigenous health. Limited research exists for Canadian nursing students' experiences of learning Indigenous health. This study explored undergraduate nursing students' experiences of learning Indigenous health from four Schools of Nursing across Canada. Particular attention is paid to the factors that shaped student and faculty experiences of learning and teaching Indigenous health, respectively, the facilitators and challenges, and what constitutes a safe and effective learning environment. …

A Post Pandemic Analysis Of Covid-19 And The Impact On Mental Health Of High School Student-Athletes—Today, More Than Ever Minds Matter, Pastora Hernandez Barbee

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

The cancellation of sporting opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic caused many student-athletes to feel deprived of the only outlet they had, which held a significant component of their personal and athletic identities (Grubic et al. 2021). This study aimed to answer the following research question: What are the experiences of high school student-athletes in a Pacific Northwest school district with access and support for holistic wellness in a post-pandemic COVID-19 school environment? The research methodology used was the wellness theory framework (Adams, Bezner, & Steinhardt, 1997). A total of seven student-athletes participated in the study through in-depth interviews. From the …