Digital Commons Network^™

The Effects Of Suitability And Readability Of Printed Health Information Materials On A Sample Of Black Diabetic Patients In South Florida, Katia Dardompré Chamberlain

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to explore the effects of suitability and readability of printed health information materials on a sample of Black diabetic patients in South Florida to determine if the printed health information materials they were given were composed at an appropriate reading level between sixth and eighth grade and were culturally suitable.

The researcher developed a survey instrument and an interview instrument to determine the participants’ viewpoint on diabetic printed health information materials that they were given. Furthermore, the researcher gathered 10 diabetic printed health information materials that the participants were given and applied the Simple Measure …

Effects Of An Extended-School-Year Summer Program On The Language-Arts Achievement Of At-Risk Students, Jeffery S. Zito

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The purpose of the study was to improve the reading and writing skills of underperforming students in Grades 3 through 5 at an elementary school located in the northeastern United States. Proficient literacy skills are essential for future academic success (National Early Literacy Panel, 2009). Because acquiring literacy skills is a prerequisite to the attainment of all other academic skills, learning to read is considered a necessary foundational ability by researchers (Krezmien & Mulcahy, 2008; Lo, Wang, & Haskell, 2009; Murphy, 2004). The problem addressed in this study was that, in the 2004-2005 to 2006-2007 school years, a mean of …

Critical Resiliency: A Case Study Of Latino Students’ Experiences In Advanced-Level High School Courses, Eric J. Chagala

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The achievement gap has been at the center of much educational discourse for the past 20 years, and it has become even more prevalent since the introduction of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001. References in the literature regarding the achievement gap often center on raising ethnic minority and low-socioeconomic students to the same average academic performance as White, middle-class students (Gandara, 2005). This case study went beyond that and examined the achievement gap in terms of the experiences of 1stgeneration, college-bound, and low-income Latino students in advanced-level high school courses, such as advanced placement (AP) and international …

The Control Room, Grace Cox

Digressions: Literary & Art Journal

No abstract provided.

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of A School-Wide Discipline Program For African American Male Students, Sterling A. White Jr.

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a school-wide discipline program in lowering referrals and suspensions of African American male students in Grades 3-5 in an urban elementary school in southeastern United States. The student body was 99% African American (48% African American male), and 82% of the student body received free or reduced-priced breakfast and lunch through the district’s nutrition program. At the time of this study, the school served 560 students in prekindergarten through Grade 5. The school-wide discipline program, Consistency Management and Cooperative Discipline (CMCD) focused on five themes: (a) prevention, (b) caring, …

Evaluation Of A 21st-Century After-School Program At A Southeastern Elementary School, Timothy B. Hunter

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The purpose of the research was to evaluate a 21st-century after-school program at an elementary school in the southeastern United States. The program focused on the improvement of academic skills for students in Grades 3 through 5 in the academic areas of English and math. Implementation was in response to the high rate of students scoring below average on standardized tests. The Stufflebeam model was used to guide the program evaluation. Interview data were gathered from the after-school coordinator. Survey data were gathered from the after-school teachers and regular-school teachers. Data were also gathered from archival and empirical sources.

Test …

The Impact Of Social Work Services On Students With Disabilities, Bridgette D. Webster Wade

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This study assessed the impact of social work services on middle school students with disabilities at a selected district in Louisiana. Students with disabilities who received multiple office discipline referrals and suspensions were referred for social work services assessment. Many had a mental health diagnosis. The majority of infractions were disrespect to authority, willful disobedience, class or school disruption, fighting, dangerous substance, and profanity. The goal of the study was to determine whether social workers adhered to the district’s benchmarks of quality guidelines during the assessment and intervention processes and to ascertain whether there was a decrease in office discipline …

A Preliminary Examination Of A Program That Provides Free Blood Glucose Testing Meters, And Subsidies On Test-Strips To Adult Diabetics, Cecil White

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to conduct a preliminary examination of the effects of the provision of free glucose testing meters, and test-strips subsidies on blood glucose control among diabetics. The study examined whether there was any impact on the frequency of testing, and whether there was a correlation between the frequency of testing and blood sugar control, as measured by HbA1c tests.

The researcher conducted a study of the program using a quasi-experimental design, and used the Glucose Monitoring Patient Questionnaire to compare the results between a test group and a control group of participants. Independent t tests were …

Grandparental Death: Through The Lens Of An Asian Child, Wing-Fu Lai

The Qualitative Report

Bereavement has been extensively studied over the years, yet scholarly work depicting, with the first-person perspective, the experience of childhood bereavement is severely lacking. The research question I set out to answer here is: What is it like as an Asian child to experience bereavement following grandparental death? As such, self-introspection was exercised, and this, together with the diaries and free writings generated at the time of my grandma’s death, was used as the basis for autoethnographic reflections. It is hoped that my story presented here can offer a psychological portrayal of an Asian child enduring grandparental death, and illuminate …

Building Interdisciplinary Qualitative Research Networks: Reflections On Qualitative Research Group (Qrg) At The University Of Manitoba, Kerstin Stieber Roger, Gayle Halas

The Qualitative Report

As qualitative research methodologies continue to evolve and develop, both students and experienced researchers are showing greater interest in learning about and developing new approaches. To meet this need, faculty at the University of Manitoba created the Qualitative Research Group (QRG), a community of practice that utilizes experiential learning in the context of social relationships to nurture social interaction, create opportunities to share knowledge, support knowledge creation, and build collaborations among all disciplines. While many other qualitative research networks such as the QRG may exist, little has been published on their early development or the activities that contribute to the …

Students’ Academic Motivations In Allied Health Classes, Trent Maurer, Deborah Allen, Delena Bell Gatch, Padmini Shankar, Diana Sturges

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Human Anatomy & Physiology [HAP] courses are considered “difficult” by both faculty and students, and many students fail to pass the courses. An attempt was made to understand how students’ academic motivations may contribute to their success or failure in these courses. Method: The project used a non-experimental design with a convenience sample. Students in five sections of HAP I and HAP II were invited to complete an anonymous 42-item questionnaire that included an adapted version of the Academic Motivation Scale [AMS], six demographic questions, and eight questions about their academic behaviors in and perceptions of their HAP course. …

A Systematic Review On Various Modes Of Exercise On People With Parkinson's Disease, Indrani Sinha Roy, Susanta Sinha Roy

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: It is important to understand the benefits of exercise for patients with Parkinson's. Methods: A literature search in MEDLINE, CINAHL, WEB of SCIENCE, and Cochrane database was carried out. In this particular study, we focused on the articles that reflected the effectiveness and efficacy of exercise on PD patients. Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) were included for the review to investigate the various modes and effectiveness of exercise being offered to PD patients. Results: 10 published RCTs were included in the review, and they were rated as high quality by the PEDro Scale. The RCTs involved 579 patients altogether. The …

Medical Education Digest, Vol. 13 No. 6 (November/December 2011), Nova Southeastern University

Medical Education Digest

No abstract provided.

The Current Volume 22 : Issue 11, Nova Southeastern University

Student Newspapers

No abstract provided.

Aids Related Stigma In Social Relations: A Qualitative Study In Turkey, Aytul Kasapoglu, Elif Kus Saillard, Nilay Kaya, Feryal Turan

The Qualitative Report

The actual number of HIV/AIDS cases in Turkey is higher than the number of cases reported, and People Living with HIV (PLWHIV) may refrain from acknowledging their sickness or seeking help because of the stigma associated with HIV and fear of discrimination from their close friends, workmates, and even their families. In this paper we aim to explore HIV-positive people's relationships with significant others such as family members, friends, sexual partners, employers and health professionals in order to present the patients' perceptions about stigma and attitudes that lead to pro-social or anti-social behavior towards them. We carried out a qualitative …

Interview With Scott Chitoff - Alumnus, Scott Chithoff

Oral Histories of Nova Southeastern University

University School, Stuart Horn, David McNairn, or Mark Cavanaugh, Susan Ferris, Brad Williams, Rosenthal Building, the Parker Building, the Mailman Building, Stephen Leavitt, international law, Sacco and Vanzetti, Student Life, fraternity and sorority, yearbook, athletic teams, Greek Life, Panhellenic, assistant director, Social and Systemic, Joe Harbaugh, law school, Joel Burman, the basketball, soccer team, baseball team, homecoming, University of Florida, law firms, Dr. Hanbury, alumni, Sun Fest, Mike Betesh

The Group-Level Consequences Of Sexual Conflict In Multigroup Populations, Omar Tonsi Eldakar, Andrew C. Gallup

Biology Faculty Articles

In typical sexual conflict scenarios, males best equipped to exploit females are favored locally over more prudent males, despite reducing female fitness. However, local advantage is not the only relevant form of selection. In multigroup populations, groups with less sexual conflict will contribute more offspring to the next generation than higher conflict groups, countering the local advantage of harmful males. Here, we varied male aggression within-and between-groups in a laboratory population of water striders and measured resulting differences in local population growth over a period of three weeks. The overall pool fitness (i.e., adults produced) of less aggressive pools exceeded …

Wellness Made Simple - Fall 2011/ Winter 2012, Nova Southeastern University

Wellness Made Simple

No abstract provided.

Identifying Risk Factors For Osteoporosis In Young Women, Elizabeth S. Stetzer

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Osteoporosis is a major public health concern that affects millions of women around the world. Although the diagnosis of osteoporosis greatly impacts the life of the patient, the health care cost associated with the sequelae of the disease process is exponentially greater. Commonly recognized as a disease of the old, osteoporosis is generally discovered in older age, but it is the result of many factors—both modifiable and non-modifiable—that impact bone strength beginning in childhood. This article discusses how the choices that a woman makes in her younger years can greatly impact her risk of developing osteoporosis. Methods: To collect …

Evaluation Of A Pilot Study For A Capstone Course: Integrative Interprofessional Practicum Experience, Rita Wunderlich, Cheryl Cavallo, Peggy Gettemeier, Katie Eliot, Irma Ruebling

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

The purpose of this paper is to describe a pilot study that will further develop and refine the capstone course for an 11-credit hour Interprofessional Curriculum. The course is being designed to allow students an opportunity to apply interprofessional concepts within the context of a practicum experience. Students were recruited from a variety of Health Science programs. Eleven volunteered to participate representing nursing, physical therapy, and occupational therapy. A low-income, urban residence was chosen for the project site. In collaboration with the community site director, students created a resource manual, “Your Guide to Health,” and developed a health promotion/illness prevention …

Severe 2010 Cold-Water Event Caused Unprecedented Mortality To Corals Of The Florida Reef Tract And Reversed Previous Survivorship Patterns, Diego Lirman, Stephanie Schopmeyer, Derek Manzello, Lewis J. Gramer, William F. Precht, Frank E. Muller-Karger, Kenneth Banks, Brian Barnes, Erich Bartels, Amanda Bourque, James Byrne, Scott Donahue, Janice Duquesnel, Louis Fisher, David S. Gilliam, James C. Hendee, Meaghan E. Johnson, Kerry Maxwell, Erin Mcdevitt, Jamie Monty, Digna Rueda, Rob Ruzicka, Sara Thanner

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Background

Coral reefs are facing increasing pressure from natural and anthropogenic stressors that have already caused significant worldwide declines. In January 2010, coral reefs of Florida, United States, were impacted by an extreme cold-water anomaly that exposed corals to temperatures well below their reported thresholds (16°C), causing rapid coral mortality unprecedented in spatial extent and severity.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Reef surveys were conducted from Martin County to the Lower Florida Keys within weeks of the anomaly. The impacts recorded were catastrophic and exceeded those of any previous disturbances in the region. Coral mortality patterns were directly correlated to in-situ and satellite-derived …

From Qualitative Data To Instrument Development: The Women's Breast Conflict Scale, Eileen Thomas

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this article is to describe the initial development of the Women's Breast Conflict Scale, a predictive instrument designed to identify women who may be least likely to follow recommended mammography screening guidelines. This new instrument incorporates self/body image, teasing, family norms and values, and societal/media influence - themes identified from three qualitative studies and five years of qualitative data collection. The themes aided in the development of a conceptual model (Breast Conflict), which provided the framework for this instrument. A description of the traditional steps involved in instrument development is provided to aid qualitative researchers in the …

The Development Of A Computer-Assisted Learning Module In Physical Therapy Neurologic Education: A Mixed Methods Case, Diana Veneri

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Computer-assisted learning (CAL) interventions have been used in contemporary allied health and medical education to supplement classroom instruction. Emphasis has shifted from tutorial activities to creating interventions that address higher level critical thinking skills. Purpose: The purpose of this mixed methods study was to investigate student perceptions of their critical thinking skills and overall impression of a CAL intervention. Methods: Videotape of patient treatment activities were embedded into a Microsoft PowerPoint™ presentation to guide students through the processes of evaluation and treatment to create a CAL module. Physical therapy students from two neighboring universities volunteered to participate. Students were randomly …

Focus On Research, Patrick Hardigan

FOCUS On Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Applying Grounded Theory To Weight Management Among Women: Making A Commitment To Healthy Eating, Christie Zunker, Nataliya Ivankova

The Qualitative Report

In this study we developed a theory grounded in data from women who continued healthy eating behaviors after a weight management program. Participant recruitment was guided by theoretical sampling strategies for focus groups and individual interviews. Inclusion criteria were: African American or Caucasian women aged 30+ who lost > 5% of their body weight in a weight management program > year ago. Participants > 5% below their baseline weight were maintainers (n = 9); those above were non-maintainers (n = 14). We asked open-ended questions regarding healthy eating behaviors. The systematic design is described in detail, including categories from open coding, connection during …

Stressful Life Events And Behavior Change: A Qualitative Examination Of African American Women's Participation In A Weight Loss Program, Tiffany L. Cox, Christie Zunker, Brooks C. Wingo, Wendy K. Jefferson, Jamy D. Ard

The Qualitative Report

We qualitatively assessed how life stressors affected African American women's participation in a weight reduction program. A sample of 9 women, who completed a behavioral lifestyle intervention, participated in individual, structured, in-depth interviews. Life stressors, ranging from personal illness to changes in employment status, had varied effects on participation. Some women coped with life stressors by using them as a motivational tool to improve their own health, while others reported limited ability to devote time to attend meetings or engage in the prescribed lifestyle changes due to life stressors. A critical key to improving weight loss outcomes for African American …

Communicating Qualitative Research Study Designs To Research Ethics Review Boards, Carolyn Ells

The Qualitative Report

Researchers using qualitative methodologies appear to be particularly prone to having their study designs called into question by research ethics or funding agency review committees. In this paper, the author considers the issue of communicating qualitative research study designs in the context of institutional research ethics review and offers suggestions for researchers to consider in their communication of study designs to research ethics review boards. General information about the mandate of research ethics review boards is provided. In light of wide international variability with respect to research ethics regulatory environments and review board processes, specific considerations and suggestions about communicating …

Socio-Cultural Challenges In Conducting Ethnographic Research Among Ethiopian Street Youth, Patricia Guy Walls

The Qualitative Report

Little has been written on the personal experience of the researcher as it relates to data collection, data analysis and interpretation of results. Even more scarce has been knowledge that addresses the challenges and barriers faced by 21st century researchers engaged in ethnographic data collection amidst culturally diverse populations. The present work has addressed these gaps in the literature by detailing the personal, methodological and cultural challenges encountered by this researcher in a larger study which utilized a mixed method design to investigate homeless street youth in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Results indicated the need for social workers to possess an …

Nudibranch Predators Of Octocorallia, Eric Brown

HCNSO Student Capstones

Nudibranchs are soft-bodied marine heterobranch gastropod molluscs which lack a shell and mantle cavity. The basic body plan is bilaterally symmetrical with an expanded notum, but in regards to other physical characteristics they exhibit a wide range of forms. Compared to other molluscs, evolutionarily the head and body became flattened and streamlined and tentacles have been lost or shifted to different areas of the body. Nudibranchs are found in many variations of size and color; despite the fact that these animals in general are noted for flamboyant colors and prominent external anatomical structures, many species rely upon a more cryptic …

An Effective Pedagogical Approach To Understanding Qualitative And Quantitative Organic Chemistry By Using A Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer, Sagir Patel

Undergraduate Student Symposium

One main objective of organic chemistry courses is to show students how much of a desired organic product is synthesized in the reaction mixture. Here, we report how a Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) instrument can be applied to a set of common organic chemistry experiments for identifying the main product, any minor product(s) and quantifying the product yield. GC-MS is a powerful analytical instrumentation tool capable of detecting, identifying and quantifying many volatile organic compounds. The GC-MS technique is routinely used in chemistry research and manufacturing laboratories. Despite its wide application in organic chemistry and ease of use, many colleges …