Impact Of A Mental Health Screening Process In A Pediatric Ed, Bryan Stocker Do, Shobhit Jain Md, Kathryn Worland Msw, Celeste Tarantino Md, Lina Patel Md, Shayla Sullivant Md

Research Days

Background: Up to 20% of children in the United States experience a mental health disorder and suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents. Children presenting with mental health concerns to the Emergency Department (ED) can be challenging due to lack of access to trained professionals and long lengths of stay. Specialized teams have shown to be beneficial, but little is known about their impact in the ED.

Objectives/Goal: This study explored the impact of specialized social workers partnering with emergency medicine providers to provide care during an acute mental health crisis.

Methods/Design: We performed this work at …

X-Linked Nephrogenic Syndrome Of Inappropriate Antidiuresis Secondary To Vasopressin Receptor 2 Mutation, Erica Zarse

Research Days

Background: X-linked nephrogenic syndrome of inappropriate antidiuresis (NSIAD) is a rare cause of hyponatremia with a similar biochemical evaluation to the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion but with suppressed vasopressin (AVP) levels.

Objectives: We present a case of hyponatremia due to NSIAD.

Results: A 25-month-old male with developmental delay became unresponsive 30 minutes after falling off a couch onto a hardwood floor. He presented with tonic-clonic movements and eye deviation requiring antiepileptics. Serum laboratories noted hyponatremia (123 mmol/L), hypoosmolality (262 mOsm/kg) and hypochloremia (90 mmol/L) prompting endocrine consult. Head imaging normal. Urine dilute with specific gravity 1.004, osmolality 160 …

Covid-19: Perspectives From Youth In Detention, April Mcneill-Johnson

Research Days

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic amplified health disparities among youth in detention. Understanding perspectives of these youth on the pandemic and COVID-19 vaccination may identify strategies to mitigate pandemic-related health disparities in this group.

Objectives/Goal: To explore perspectives on the COVID-19 pandemic, effect on detention experience and the COVID vaccine among youth in detention.

Methods/Design: This is a secondary analysis of a study examining healthcare needs and experiences of youth in detention. We recruited a convenience sample of youth (14-17 years) detained in urban midwestern juvenile detention centers from January-November 2021. We conducted semistructured individual interviews & used a thematic analysis …

Gastrointestinal Fibromatosis: A Case Of Successful Oral Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Delivery To An Infant With Proximal Duodenal Obstruction, Darius Blanding

Research Days

Background: Infantile myofibromatosis (IM) is a rare disorder characterized by the fibrous proliferation of the skin, bone, muscle, and viscera that usually presents at birth, or soon after. Although IM is a benign condition, significantly higher morbidity and mortality have been reported when the viscera is involved. This case report is of a 6-week-old female who presented with poor feeding along with subcutaneous nodules that were diagnosed as IM. Upper and lower endoscopy were performed for worsening feeding intolerance showing marked nodularity throughout the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, including partial obstruction of the proximal duodenum by biopsy-proven myofibromas, confirming visceral IM …

Subclinical Status Epilepticus In The Setting Of An Acute Covid-19 Infection, Thomas Rieth

Research Days

Background: While COVID-19 commonly presents as an upper respiratory infection, acute COVID infections has the potential to have multisystem involvement. Neurological symptoms, which have mainly been reported in adults, are rare in children and are not well recognized. Better understanding of the neurological manifestations of COVID-19 in children can lead to earlier detection of COVID-19 and help with medical decision making and treatment.

Objectives/Goal: To describe an unusual presentation of COVID-19 in a previously healthy female and explore the neurological presentations of COVID-19.

Results: A 10 year old previously healthy female presented with a 1 day history of altered mental …

A Case Of Fibrous Hamartoma In Term Neonate, Elizabeth Perry

Research Days

Case report abstract: Fibrous hamartoma of infancy (FHI) is a rare, benign lesion characterized as a tumor of myofibroblastic origin that has characteristic features of triphasic histology. FHI was first described in 1956 by Reye and formally named by Enzinger in 1965 (1, 2). The lesion is defined as a hamartoma due to the histologic presentation of disorganized mesenchymal, fibrous, and adipose tissue with absence of mitotic figures; this combination of derived tissue without evidence of anaplasia is diagnostic for FHI. These lesions typically arise as a single, solitary mass, are most commonly located on the extremities, trunk, sacrum, or …

Early Onset Obesity In A 4-Year-Old Female Found To Have Variants In Both The Single-Minded Homolog 1 And Sh2b Adaptor Protein 1 Genes, Erica Zarse

Research Days

No abstract provided.

The Impacts Of Cooperative Learning In Classrooms On Student Social Skills, Joseph Larson

Master's Theses

This mixed-methods action research study investigates potential effects of cooperative learning strategies on observed and self-reported student social skills in a fourth grade classroom. Baseline data is collected at a time when the classroom is predominantly whole-group and is then compared to ensuing data collected during and after cooperative learning interventions. Opportunities for students to work in interdependent partnerships and small groups ramps up gradually and culminates in a 3-week period which includes 3 different jigsaw-style lesson activities. Data suggests that students who are unaccustomed to working with peers may struggle to exhibit required social skills that make cooperative learning …

Use Of Encouragement In The Classroom To Help Students Succeed [2022], Erin Fieldhouse

Master's Theses

This case study is based on a one student study that used a mixed methods approach seeing the effects of encouragement in the classroom and how it might help a student socially and emotionally. Data was collected throughout a 12-week period based around the findings of field notes and a survey that was implemented into the classroom. Preliminary findings are inconclusive based on students having more difficulties that affect them in different ways. This paper will provided [sic] information about how to use encouragement in the classroom.

Teachers are always trying to find new methods to help their students. …

The Influence Of Short-Term Goal Setting On Student Performance And Motivation, Amber Lefever

Master's Theses

Student goal setting is one powerful tool that can influence students' attitudes and achievements. This mixed-methods study examines the effects of short-term goal setting on the performance and motivation of students in a fifth-grade classroom. Students set weekly goals and tracked their performance through daily self-reflection. The goal-setting intervention provided students an opportunity to gain success through intrinsic rewards and strengthen their self-efficacy skills. Data were collected and analyzed over a three-week time frame. This presentation provides details on the effectiveness of goal setting in the classroom and procedures for structuring goal-setting interventions for upper elementary students.

Exploring The Benefits Of Peer Tutoring On Elementary Students' Academic Outcomes, Jacqueline Gardner

Master's Theses

This action research study was created to determine if students’ motivation plays an important role in their academic outcomes in a sixth-grade classroom. Peer tutoring was implemented as an intervention throughout a six-week duration to promote students’ intrinsic motivation and to identify any associated student academic outcomes. Preliminary findings showed that students liked to connect with academic content, and they liked to work with their peers. This presentation will provide information about the positive effects of students having or gaining intrinsic motivation, and it will have recommendations about different classroom tools that can have a positive impact on elementary students’ …

Social Emotional Learning In An Elementary School, Abigail Cook

Master's Theses

This action-research study used a mixed-methods approach to help determine and observe the benefits of social emotional journaling in the classroom, specifically its impact on a students ability to recognize their personal emotions and self-concept. Data was collected both quantitively [sic] and qualitatively in a fifth-grade classroom to note the changes before implementing social emotional learning and after implementing it. This study discusses the term “social emotional learning” and provides a discussion on the impact of journaling for the students and any other implications observed. Although the results are mostly positive, the research discovered during the study concluded …

The Impact Of Internally Designed Mathematics Differentiation System On Gifted & Talented 5th & 6th Grade Students, Svetlana Kovalkova-Mckenna

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Mathematical talent development in middle school is significantly impacted by students’ access to academic learning opportunities that include collaborative learning with similar ability peers and match student’s interests and level of ability instead of age and grade-level. Access to and participation in domain-specific gifted programs for mathematically talented students has a significant impact on the level of their future talent development, their social-emotional wellbeing, and opportunities later in life. The purpose of this mixed-methods non-experimental action research study was to explore the impact an internally designed mathematics differentiation system (provided in a multiple days per week pull-out format by school’s …

The Nebraska Covid-19 Early Care And Education Provider Survey Iii: “Holding It Together—And Hanging By A Thread” May 2022, Alexandra Daro, Kathleen C. Gallagher, Kristen M. Cunningham

Buffet Early Childhood Institute Reports and Publications

In February 2022, the Buffett Early Childhood Institute conducted the Nebraska COVID-19 Early Care and Education Survey III, in collaboration with state agencies, University of Nebraska faculty, and organization partners. This third survey examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Nebraska’s child care professionals and its implications for practice and policy. Results from the previous surveys, released in April and August 2020, indicated that early care and education professionals in Nebraska, who were already vulnerable prior to the pandemic, have been negatively impacted from the start of the pandemic. The first survey elevated providers’ immediate needs, including funding relief, …

A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Teacher Preparation Standards Within Inclusion-Intensive States, Kay Lynn Ceja

Education (PhD) Dissertations

Federal law calls for students with disabilities to be educated in the least restrictive environment possible. However, this still allows for students with disabilities to be placed in a range of educational settings, from the general education classroom to a separate school. The number of students with disabilities that are included to the maximum extent possible in the general education classroom varies by state. This study focused on the role of teacher training as defined by state drive teacher education standards. The purposeful outlier sample was selected by identifying the 12 states with the highest levels of inclusion of students …

A=A: A Change In Social Movement Engagement And Leadership Should Equal A Change In Civic Education, Tess Tureson

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

It seems as if almost everything in our world has changed with the introduction of the internet, personal computers, iPhones, and social media. We write emails instead of letters. We listen to podcasts and read articles online instead of buying a newspaper. Presidents communicate with the world on Twitter. The way we engage with politics has entirely changed. Yet, we are still going about civic education in schools the same way, teaching students to give speeches in city council meetings, write letters to their representative, and find current events from traditional news sources. This study offers new statistical evidence that …

Emotional And Attentional Regulation: Impact Of Trauma And Journal Writing?, Jody Ann Coore

The Nebraska Educator: A Student-Led Journal

Traumatic experiences are very common and have a high lifetime prevalence rate, which a large body of research indicates negatively impact the ability to self-regulate, including emotional and attentional regulation. This study focused on traumatic experiences caused by peer victimization and aimed to examine the effects on self-regulation after exposure to artificial trauma and journaling in graduate students. A convenient sample of 9 graduate students were randomly assigned to the control or intervention group. All participants were asked to engage in a journaling activity after watching the assigned video. Three emotional Stroop tasks were administered to participants: before watching the …

Examining How Black Administrator Employment Decisions Are Impacted By The Behaviors Of Supervisors, Annie Wilson Whitaker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand how Black, public school administrator employment decisions are impacted by the behaviors of supervisors in Virginia. Commonalities among the lived experiences of Black, public school administrators were examined in order to identify specific behaviors which impact employment decisions.

Transcendental phenomenological qualitative research design was utilized. Participants were identified through gatekeeper introductions and then narrowed through snow-ball sampling. Data was collected through open-ended face-to-face interviews with 12 Black, public school administrators in Virginia via a secure online platform. The data was analyzed in order to identify emergent themes which represent the lived …

Inclusive Pedagogy: Connecting Disability And Race In Higher Education, Meredith Persin

All Theses

Higher education was never made for marginalized people. The academy was created based on the privileged white, able-bodied, males who preoccupied higher education for the longest time. While that has certainly changed over the years, the institution itself is still in the past resulting in BIPOC students and disabled students continuing to struggle within higher education. While instructors have begun to take interest in the need for inclusive pedagogy within the last decade, it still has a far way to come in order to help the marginalized students with intersecting identities and students who may not benefit from a one …

Innovative Behavior; Raising Awareness For Creative Behavior In Education To Cultivate An Innovative Approach In Vocational Education., Jeanette Janine Matser

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

_{Innovative Behavior; Raising Awareness for Creative Behavior in Education to Cultivate an Innovative Approach in Vocational Education.}

The development of a rubric for innovative behavior in teachers is related to encouraging the status of creativity in the innovation process. It is powerful to use feedback to create a more creative approach in schools, it helps teachers to think creatively and how to cultivate a more innovative approach in the classroom. It creates and structures conversations among teachers interested in teaching and assessing creativity.

This project presents a background and the development of a rubric and a complimentary booklet to self-test …

Assessing Perceptions Of Disability Knowledge Of Campus Police At Inclusive Universities, Hannah Shultz

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to analyze the perception of knowledge of campus police on intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), including autism, in inclusive college programs. A survey was sent to both campus police and representatives of 50 inclusive higher education programs across the United States. These questions involved perceptions of campus police knowledge, training, and the safety of students with I/DD.

Faculty Perceptions Of Teaching Clinical Reasoning At The Patient Bedside, Rebecca Gale White

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Nurse educators meet frequently in conference settings and peer groups seeking an answer to “How do you do clinical?”. The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to explore faculty perceptions of clinical teaching experiences at the patient bedside at a level one or two associate’s degree nursing program by faculty within the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) that teach a rural student population.

Rural students struggle with work-life barriers that complicate their educational journey. This was compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic that presented new challenges to the way nursing education could be delivered creating a need for on line …

Accessibility Of Mental Health Resources In Schools, Zitlaly Lizeth Cruz-Roman, Vianney Consepcion Sandoval

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study aimed to examine parents’ and staff’s perception of the accessibility and awareness of mental health resources in school. Mental health resources are made available in school settings; however, not all families and students are aware of the resources being provided. To address the accessibility of mental health resources, research needs to take place to understand why these resources are not being utilized. Individuals’ mental health will improve by creating awareness of the resources since they will be aware of the resources and use them based on their needs. The research project utilized quantitative research methods and descriptive research …

“Implacement”: The Importance Of Place And Community In Schooling, Emily Coady

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of three chapters exploring my overarching research question: How does sense of place shape a teacher’s orientation to their profession? My first chapter empirically answers the question: Is there a relationship between place attachment and measured aspects of teacher quality? In an attempt to qualify the strength of bond between a teacher and his or her community, I adapted a place attachment instrument developed by Raymond, Brown, and Weber (2010). Each teacher is given a place attachment score informed by their responses on the 21-item survey. Next, I correlated these scores to other aspects of teacher quality …

Impact Of Positive Classroom Environment On Elementary School Students’ Learning, Marisa Contrada

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

When students are asked if they like school or not, their answer is typically negative for the reason that they don’t feel comfortable in the classroom. Classroom environment is where their mindset could be changed. Classroom environment has not been a prominent topic of discussion. This senior capstone research report was designed to shed light on the importance of classroom environment. Through the use of literature review, classroom observations, teacher interviews, and anonymous student survey, positive classroom environment has a tremendous impact on students learning. This senior capstone examines the importance of classroom environment as well as strategies in creating …

Measuring Social Studies Teacher Self-Efficacy: Development Of A Valid, Reliable, And Fair Social Studies Self-Efficacy Scale, Leona Calkins

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Social studies education provides unique opportunities for students to learn about the democratic process and, more importantly, how to engage in civic life to become active citizens. It is through meaningful social studies education that students are deliberately helped to understand the world, and are provided space to discuss, deliberate, and inquire about problems in the world, both past and present, and then learn how they can work to solve these problems (NCSS, 2013a; Parker, 2008). Considering the role of social studies education in helping develop active citizens, there has been a call for social studies teachers to provide instruction …

Examining The Attitudes Of Preservice Teachers Toward English Learners, Annie Chou

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The rapid growth of the K-12 English Learner (EL) student population in the United States raises concerns related to their learning and growth in schools. Teachers are central figures in their students’ achievement. The influence of teachers’ attitudes on student learning and development validates the need to examine these in research studies. What influences teachers’ attitudes is an important part of understanding teachers’ attitudes towards their EL students. Certain individual characteristics including teachers’ training, may be associated with their positive attitudes. Studies have shown that effective teacher preparation programs can change preservice teacher attitudes in general and specifically towards their …

An Integrative Variable And Person-Centered Approach To Representing Teachers' Self-Efficacy: A Cross-Cultural Perspective, Ana Paula Santos Loures Elias

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

There has been substantial scholarly attention given to teachers’ functioning over the past two decades. Much of this attention has been precipitated by accounts of increasing teacher burnout and attrition from the profession. Central to this scholarly focus has been the construct of teacher self-efficacy, which has been shown to be a predictor of important teacher outcomes. However, there remain several unresolved issues in the teacher self-efficacy literature that limit the utility of the construct for understanding teachers’ effective functioning. First, there is little clarity about the dimensional structure of teachers’ self-efficacy data. Second, little empirical work has been conducted …

The Role Of Peer Relationships In Developing, Promoting, And Maintaining Teachers’ Social And Emotional Competence In The Charter School Setting, Ted Jason Weisman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Social and Emotional Competence (SEC) is comprised of five main components: self awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. Within the context of K-12 education, SEC is typically explored through the lens of student achievement or student progress. This area of research is noteworthy as teachers aretrained in SEL to assist and support students, not themselves or one another (Wiglesworth et al., 2016). Although teachers may receive training on SEC, the teachers rarely are the focus of that training (Aldrup et al., 2021). One area of particular interest is the setting of charter schools and how they address …

The Narratives Of Teacher Candidates In Clinical Practice Within A Teacher Residency: The Shaping Of Professional Teacher Identities, Lauren Marie Laughlin

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

Clinical practice within teacher residencies offers contextually based experiences that are influential in the development of professional teacher identities. Additionally, the stories told by teacher candidates about these experiences are instrumental to this development as narratives and identity are intertwined (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000). Consequently, this study employs narrative inquiry to explore the three-dimensional space of time, place, and sociality that teacher candidates encountered for the first part of their clinical practice within a teacher residency. Additionally, I explore tensions each participant faced. Data collection included interviews, observations, and artifacts as each piece of data informed the other. Then, thinking …