Digital Commons Network^™

Necessity Of Leadership Development In Allied Health Education Programs, Matthew R. Kutz

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Why should educational programs teach leadership, and why should universities and colleges who offer allied health care programs be concerned with training future clinicians to be leaders? Leadership development is a topic wrought with passion among business professionals and educators alike. Leadership is something everybody needs and it remains vague and ambiguous. Leadership is a mystical, almost ethereal, quality that you cannot define, yet know when you see. Advancing the allied health care professions and the members of the allied health care community is proving to be difficult without the necessary leadership skills.

A Use-Case Model For A Knowledge Management System To Facilitate Disaster Relief Operations, Eileen Eudy

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

There are numerous disaster relief agencies poised to respond to disasters; however, coordinating the activities of these diverse and dispersed entities and capitalizing on their knowledge assets can be a challenge. All of these agencies are dedicated to serving survivors of disasters, but they at times lack the coordination necessary to respond efficiently. The Virginia Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) is an umbrella organization of existing agencies dedicated to working closely with other organizations to improve service and minimize duplication during disaster operations. To better cope with disasters, the Virginia VOAD needs to develop knowledge management strategies to coordinate …

Parent University: A Texas Charter School Plan To Increase Professional Development Training, David Fuller

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Continuing the progression of innovation within the charter school movement, this applied dissertation was designed to provide increased attendance of teachers at professional development training at a charter school that services inner city students. As a brand new charter school, Accelerated Intermediate Academy (AIA) was faced with a limited number of available classroom substitutes to allow teachers to attend professional development training. Research has shown that parent involvement is beneficial to students, teachers, and parents. Studies have shown that teachers benefit from extra help in the classroom. AIA’s aim was not to place parents in the classroom as babysitters, but …

Using A Schoolwide Faculty Collaboration Model To Improve Reading Instruction At A Middle School, Cheryl A. Mckeever

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation discussed the implementation of a school collaboration model and its effects on reading instruction, academic achievement, and organizational culture in middle grades. The model was designed to present a process that enabled teachers who share a common purpose the opportunity to work together in a supportive, reciprocal, and rewarding relationship. The program was structured into the regular teacher workday.

The model proposed that teachers who are members of a collaborative relationship take the time to understand that knowing themselves is the foundation for understanding and relating to others. A collaborative partnership among teachers and students was essential …

Social Skills Strategies And Their Effects On Students With Inappropriate Behavior, Daphne P. Jah

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Discipline referrals were on the rise at West Madison Elementary School in Madison, Alabama. This applied dissertation was designed to explore the effects direct social skills instruction had on the behavior development of disruptive students. The vision of the Madison City School System was to become an educational leader at the state, regional and the national levels. The focus of the Madison City School System was in the area of academic development of students. There was a need to teach the whole child, thus, the need for direct instruction in the area of social skill to promote social competence.

The …

A Study To Determine The Effects Of Parent Training On Parental Involvement And Student Attendance In An Urban School Setting, Cordia P. Moore

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The applied dissertation was designed to determine the effectiveness of parent training on the involvement of parents in the educational process of their children. The increased emphasis on the inclusion of parents as partners in the education of their children and the growing outcry of parents in the community to become more involved in the schooling process were major factors in the decision to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured training series provided to parents. Training was provided by an external consulting firm.

This researcher developed questionnaires and interviewed parents, teachers and principals to determine their perceptions of the impact …

Reading Achievement: How Does The Science Research Associates Corrective Reading Program Affect Reading Performance And Student Achievement?, Amanda L. Ware-Johnson

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to evaluate a reading program that was already in existence and was being utilized as strategy to improve the reading ability of 6th-grade students attending Cedar Grove Middle School (CGMS). According to the No Child Left Behind Act, each school is required to make adequate yearly progress. In other words, every school has to improve by 5%, including CGMS, to show an increase in student achievement in order to satisfy federal law.

The researcher collected archival test data from the Georgia Criterion Referenced Competency Test (Georgia Department of Education, 1999); specifically, 6th-grade reading test scores …

The Effects Of Staff Development Training About Psychotropic Medications On The Way Teachers Discipline Children And Adolescents With Emotional/Behavioral Disorders, Cynthia P. Ford

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to provide staff members with information regarding psychotropic medications, in order to assist them in improving their discipline procedures with students at a school for children and adolescents with emotional/behavioral disorders. Students with emotional/behavioral disorders were being disciplined inappropriately. A suspected cause was that teachers were unable to differentiate between a true behavioral issue and a behavior that was a result of the side effects from the medication that the student was taking. Even though psychopharmacology has been part of the treatment of students with severe emotional/behavioral disorders, it is still not acknowledged as an …

Improving Fourth-Grade Students’ Mathematical Competencies Through The Use Of Innovative Instruction And Authentic Assessment, Daniel R. Harden

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to improve 4th-grade students’ achievement on district- and state-mandated assessments. The students had demonstrated through testing that they had difficulties with open-response test format. The students had no previous experience with this type of assessment, nor had they any instruction in how to approach taking this type of assessment. Faculty members were not trained in and unaware of the use of open-response assessment models on newly developed, state-mandated mathematics tests. Faculty members were unaware that a lack of instruction in such assessment models would adversely affect student scores.

The writer was assigned to instruct 3 …

When The Student Cannot Come To The Classroom, Should The Classroom Come To The Student?, Christine M. Curtin

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The purpose of this applied dissertation was to demonstrate the effectiveness of interactive communication technology in meeting the unique needs of homebound middle school students by replacing the current 3-hour-a-week tutorial program with a two-way video system. The subjects were 7 middle school aged homebound students in suburban Atlanta, Georgia.

The preliminary project examined archival data concerning 7 middle school students who were participants in the 3- hour-a-week tutorial homebound program. These students, their parents, and their teachers were interviewed about their experience in the 3-hour-a-week tutorial homebound program.

This applied dissertation determined the components and procedures needed to establish …

Development Of A Certification Program In Secondary English Education At Valley Forge Christian College With A Plan For Implementation, Glenn A. Mcclure

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Valley Forge Christian College is a 4-year private religious institution sponsored by the Assemblies of God denomination. In order to improve the curricular programs and meet the needs of potential students, it is necessary to add secondary education courses leading to state teaching certification to the program. The problem is that there are no secondary education major courses of study at Valley Forge Christian College qualifying graduates to teach in the state’s public secondary schools. The purpose of this study was to develop a Secondary English Education program and an accompanying Student Handbook.

The Secondary English Education program and Student …

Development Of A Program Plan For Outreach And Public Service With Plans For Implementation And Evaluation At Virginia State University, Alice F. Joyner

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The purpose of this dissertation project was to identify the components of a comprehensive outreach/public service program and to utilize that information to develop a plan for an institutionally specific outreach program at Virginia State University. Institutional assessments there indicated that the outreach/public service mission and strategic planning goals related to cooperative and shared resources within and outside the university were not currently being met.

The following 5 research questions were addressed: What are the appropriate components for an outreach/public service program? What are the standards and models utilized by selected benchmark institutions? What is an appropriate and valid design …

Using A Gender-Specific Program Model To Prevent Adolescent Females From Committing Status Crimes And Criminal Offenses, Brenda A. Nelson

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The literature consistently references the limited research conducted on adolescent female offenders. Much of the research around juvenile delinquent or criminal behaviors has focused on male offenders, and, as a result, the majority of program models for prevention and treating criminal behaviors of adolescents have been based on a male model. The problem addressed in this applied dissertation was adolescent females committal of status and criminal offenses, with the goal of eliminating status and criminal behavior through the implementation of a gender-specific community-based program for adolescent female offenders. The expected outcomes were that for the sample or target group of …

Improving Immoral And Unhealthy Behaviors In Adolescents Who Are Involved In A Local Church Congregation, Blair L. Spindle

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to improve the negative behaviors of adolescents who were active in a local church congregation. Students involved in the activities of the church congregation were found to be participating in various unhealthy and immoral behaviors. Evidence of the problem was obtained through a survey given to 35 students, and it indicated that these students were involved in behaviors such as drinking, lying, stealing, eating disorders, school delinquency, violence, sexual misconduct, and pornography.

The writer developed several solution strategies to decrease student involvement in these behaviors. These strategies focused on connecting adolescents to their church congregations, …

The Development Of A Plan For A New York State Transfer Articulation Association, Dana A. Wilkie

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation will develop a plan for a New York State Transfer Articulation Association (NYSTAA). The State University of New York Transfer Counselors’ Association wanted to restructure its organization and extend its membership to include professionals from all New York public and private 2- and 4-year institutions. The purpose of this study was to provide a thorough investigation as to how a model transfer articulation association functions and to develop a plan for an all-inclusive NYSTAA.

The writer conducted a survey of 160 public and private 2-and 4-year colleges and universities in the State of New York, researching their …

Development Of An Educational Leadership Program For Nurse Managers At The Hospital For Joint Diseases With A Plan For Implementation And Evaluation, Althea L. Mighten

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Nurse managers at the Hospital for Joint Diseases (HJD) have not had any additional leadership development beyond their generic nursing education, or since they were head nurses, to effectively manage the nursing units. Prior to this study, HJD had no policies and procedures in place to support their development.

To address the problem, the writer developed an educational leadership program for nurse managers at HJD with a plan for implementation and evaluation. It was expected that such a program would expand the knowledge base and elevate the competency levels of the nurse managers.

Nineteen procedures that incorporated the developmental and …

Design Of A Faculty Development Program For Adjunct Computer Faculty With A Plan For Implementation And Evaluation, Sharon R. Seaton

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The purpose of this applied research project was to design a faculty development program for adjunct computer faculty at El Centro with a plan for implementation and evaluation. The problem was that a number of adjunct instructors teaching computer courses are ineffective in one or more teaching areas.

There were six research questions in this study. (a) What does the related literature indicate concerning effective teaching skills to be used by college instructors? (b) What are the contents and design of faculty development models in other institutions of higher education? (c) What are the contents of a faculty development program? …

Development Of A Plan For The Implementation And Evaluation Of Programs To Meet The Educational Needs Of Adults On Andros Island, Bahamas, Christina A. Rahming Nwosa

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

There exists a paucity of opportunities for adults on the Family Islands of The Bahamas to obtain higher education, as there is minimal infrastructure on these islands to support the traditional face-to-face mode of educational delivery at the tertiary level. This project was designed to develop a plan for the implementation and evaluation of programs to meet the educational needs of adults on Andros Island, Bahamas. The plan that was developed utilized 14 procedures to answer 4 research questions. The 4 research questions addressed were (a) What are the educational needs of adults on Andros Island?, (b) Currently, what is …

The Impact Of Devolution On Organizational Effectiveness: An Exploratory Case Study Of Faith-Based Child Care, Javier Stanziola, Tania Schmitz

The Qualitative Report

Although the foundations of President Bush’s faith-based initiative could be traced back at least to Colonial times, the re-packaging of this idea has raised concerns about the role of the federal government in the affairs of faith based organizations, the professionalization of social services, rent seeking, and the crowding out of private funding. This paper aims to examine the local implications of decentralizing the provision of social services in Lee County, Florida. More specifically, we will identify how devolution has affected the organizational effectiveness of faith-based organizations in the day care sector. For this paper, organizational effectiveness was defined in …

Meta-Inquiry: An Approach To Interview Success, Nancy M. Carlson, Mark Mccaslin

The Qualitative Report

Developing an effective interview strategy presents unique challenges for the novice and master researcher for if the questions one asks are not crucial, then differences in responses are not crucial either (Creswell, 1998, p. 335). To focus qualitative research in the human ecology of the study, our strategy uses an initial interview protocol and preanalysis process, called meta-inquiry, prior to developing our formal interview protocol. Meta-inquiry of initial interview data, obtained in dialogue with key informants in the researched culture, provides us with an inductive tool to assess, modify, enhance, and focus the formal interview protocol. Thus, preparing for the …

Memories In Context Via Cyber Reminiscing: The Case Of Marilyn Monroe, Kelvin Eng Yong Low

The Qualitative Report

This paper attempts to extend the various existing lieux de memoire available hitherto in the perpetuation and (re)construction of social memory by looking at the cyber landscape. Marilyn Monroe as an icon of American popular culture and thus of popular memory in this context, is explored, by looking at various select websites designed in commemoration of her stardom. Within this investigation, I also invoke the link between the production of social memory, with frames of remembrance and collective memory that therefore indicates memory as indubitably, a social phenomenon. The value of cyber reminiscing is also addressed briefly, by exploring how …

Practice Approaches And The Ethnography Of Communication: Investigating For The Possibility Of A Mutually Beneficial Relationship, Keith Berry

The Qualitative Report

In this essay, I explore the areas of accord and discord between two efficacious modes of research: practice approaches and the Ethnography of Communication (EOC). As an interpersonal and intercultural scholar, I carefully analyze these approaches in order to find innovative ways to describe the diversity that I see in modern social interaction. Working against paradigms that suggest using either one approach or another, I engage this project hoping (expecting?) to find and/both alternatives for communication study. I argue that, in spite of their differences, practice and EOC traditions co-exist in a mutually beneficial relationship for the study of communication …

Power Games Between The Researcher And The Participant In The Social Inquiry, Ana Bravo-Moreno

The Qualitative Report

This article will deal with the different power relationships that are in play during the interview process in ethnographic research. It explores how interviewees are agents in the creation of their own positions during the interview process and how they shift positions in interaction with the researcher and with the questions posed to them.

Medical Education Digest, Vol. 5 No. 6 (November 15, 2003), Nova Southeastern University

Medical Education Digest

No abstract provided.

The Knight Volume 14: Issue 5, Nova Southeastern University

Student Newspapers

No abstract provided.

Editor’S Reflections: Peacemaking Among Helping Parties, Honggang Yang

Peace and Conflict Studies

Excerpt

I would like to take this opportunity to initiate a dialogue over some issues of conflict management among ourselves as third parties or helping professionals. The challenges of managing interpersonal conflicts or performing internal peacemaking are as real and relevant as the challenges of our professional undertaking in handling “outside” disputes. While recognizing there are no ready formulae to address these challenges, I invite you to join in the open-minded dialogues to examine expectations and premises often assumed among helping professionals in the fields.

The Prospect Of Multi-Level Voting In Post-Peace Accord Northern Ireland, Roger Mac Ginty

Peace and Conflict Studies

This article reviews the possibility of multi-level voting in Northern Ireland in the wake of the 1998 peace accord. Post-peace accord elections can act as powerful indicators of the fate of a peace. Using Reif and Schmitt’s framework of second-order elections, it finds some evidence of varying electoral behaviour according to the electoral arena. The article also uses original data from a major opinion survey to assess public attitudes towards the suite of governing institutions with powers in or over a devolved Northern Ireland. The evidence of multi-level voting is limited and does not extend to electors abandoning ethnic voting …

Volume 10, Number 2 (Fall 2003), Peace And Conflict Studies

Peace and Conflict Studies

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Artistic Processes In Peace-Building In Bosnia-Herzegovina, Craig Zelizer

Peace and Conflict Studies

Throughout the world, community arts-based processes have become an essential component of peacebuilding work in societies experiencing severe conflicts. Both during a conflict and in post-conflict peacebuilding efforts, community based arts processes can be an especially effective tool to bring together identity groups through sharing common cultural experiences, raising awareness about past suffering, and engaging communities in creative projects. In this research project, the author spent fourteen months in Bosnia-Herzegovina researching the use of community arts-based peacebuilding efforts both during the war and in the post-conflict stage. This paper provides an overview of the research and offers several conclusions on …

Back Matter, Peace And Conflict Studies

Peace and Conflict Studies

No abstract provided.