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Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Parent-Educators In Pursuit Of Stability And Growth In The Early Education Workforce, Britney N. Patrick

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Early childhood educators who are also parents represent an important yet understudied population within workforce development research. This qualitative narrative inquiry explored the lived experiences of early childhood educators who are also parents as they navigated workforce development programs, parenting responsibilities, and organizational practices in pursuit of career advancement and economic stability. Guided by work-family border theory (Clark, 2000) and ecological systems theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1979), the study examined how parenting responsibilities shaped engagement in workforce development opportunities and influenced professional trajectories over time.

Twenty-two early childhood educators who were also parents participated in virtual semi-structured interviews lasting approximately 60 to …

Inked Insight: A Consensual Qualitative Research Study Exploring The Perspectives Of Visibly Tattooed Counselors, Megan Ashley Lalonde-Pittman

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

This study explored the experiences of visibly tattooed mental health counselors (VTMHC) through consensual qualitative research (CQR), examining how visible tattoos were perceived to have impacted the participants (N=14) professional experiences, development, and relationships within the counseling field. Seven domains arose from the data: Prejudices experienced by VTMHC, VTMHC Interactions with others, Culture experienced by VTMHC, Appearances of the VTMHC, Professional therapeutic work of the VTMHC, Workplace environment of the VTMHC, Processing the experience of being a VTMHC The implications for multicultural education and future research are explored.

The Relationship Between Increased Wages And Nurse Satisfaction And Intent To Stay, Jean Andres

College of Health Sciences Posters

The recent COVID-19 pandemic contributed to a negative climate in healthcare and increased the workforce demands of nurses leading to decreased satisfaction and an unprecedented staffing crisis. Further compounding the problem, staffing agencies have offered fiscally lucrative contracts that enticed experienced nurses to leave permanent staff positions for external contract agency nursing.

Research Questions for this study are as follows:

• RQ1: What is the relationship between increased wages and nurse satisfaction?
• RQ2: What is the relationship between increased wages and intent to stay?
• RQ3: What is the relationship between demographic variables and nurse satisfaction?
• RQ4: What is the relationship demographic …

The Use Of Non-Icu Confusion Assessment Method (Cam) For Delirium Management, Stephanie Barendt, John Sharon Hudson

College of Health Sciences Posters

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect the use of the non-intensive care unit confusion assessment method (non-ICU CAM) as an early screening tool for delirium would have on the nursing practice of medical surgical nurses. This quasi-experimental study focused on early screening and prevention training of inpatient nurses caring for adult inpatients to proactively reduce episodes of delirium. The training included an educational video on how to perform the non-ICU CAM assessment, 4 scenarios to test knowledge on scoring patient, and techniques for reducing delirium if patient is positive. After one month of multimodal training for …

A Meta-Analysis Of Associations Between Weight Bias Internalization And Conceptually-Related Correlates: A Step Towards Improving Construct Validity, Kelly A. Romano, Kristin E. Heron, Cassidy M. Sandoval, Lindsay M. Howard, Rachel I. Macintyre

Psychology Faculty Publications

Weight bias internalization (WBI), a process of weight-based self-devaluation, has been associated with adverse mental and physical health. However, there are limitations with the existing conceptualization and operationalization of WBI that raise questions about the implications of this evidence-base. To address these limitations, the present study investigated the construct validity of WBI by conducting a meta-analysis of associations between WBI (as currently operationalized) and conceptually-related correlates. Studies identified through October 2021 that provided zero-order correlations for associations between WBI and conceptually-related constructs were examined. Meta-regression determined whether these associations differed across WBI measures and demographic (age, sex/gender, race, BMI) and …

Students With Orthopedic Impairments' Perspectives Toward Integrated Physical Education, Katherine E. Holland

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

Students with disabilities are educated in general physical education classes with their same aged peers more now than ever before (Governmental Accountability Office [GAO], 2010), yet little is known about how those with orthopedic impairments experience these integrated classes. Additionally, while a plethora of strategies are described as promoting ‘inclusion’, very few ‘inclusive’ strategies have been problematized. This dissertation followed a two-study format. The first study explored the lived experiences of students with orthopedic impairments in integrated physical education classes, and the second study examined how students with orthopedic impairments experienced strategies identified in the literature to support ‘inclusion’. An …

Educating Registered Nurses (Rns) To Improve Knowledge, Comfortability & Ability Of Communication In Advance Care Planning (Acp), Sirena Blount-Sears, Pamela Bishop

College of Health Sciences Posters

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to assess the knowledge, comfortability, and ability to communicate with confidence, along with the usage of communication tools, among Med/Surg RNs r/t to ACP before & after participation in an ACP educational webinar.

Aims: To evaluate whether the knowledge, comfortability, ability to communicate, including usage of communication tools, and confidence among medical-surgical registered nurses related to ACP improves following participation in an ACP educational webinar.

Research Questions/Hypotheses: RQ1: Will there be a significant difference before & after an ACP educational webinar r/t: knowledge, comfortability, ability to communicate with confidence, & the …

The 'New Normal' Of Flooding In Portsmouth, Virginia: Perspectives, Experiences, And Adaptive Responses Of Residents And Business Owners In Low To Moderate-Income Communities, Donta Council, Michelle Covi, Wie Yusuf, Joshua Behr, Makayla Brown, Old Dominion University Resilience Collaborative, Virginia Sea Grant

Presentations, Lectures, Posters, Reports

[First three paragraphs from the Summary]

This project is a part of a broader initiative - the Resilience Adaptation Feasibility Tool (RAFT) - that addresses the daunting challenges coastal communities are facing related to sea level rise and climate change (more information about RAFT is available here: https://ien.virginia.edu/raft).

This aim of this project was to investigate how residents and business owners in low-to-moderate income communities in Portsmouth, Virginia cope with flooding, and to assess implications for how the local government can better engage with residents to better meet their information needs so they can be more resilient to flooding. The …

Population Dynamics Of The Cotton Rat In Southeastern Virginia, Robert K. Rose, Heather Green Salamone

Virginia Journal of Science

We used monthly live trapping for 2.5 years to evaluate the life-history features of the most common small mammal, Sigmodon hispidus (hispid cotton rat), in an old field at its northern limit of distribution on the Atlantic Coast. Peak densities, achieved in late autumn or early winter, were among the highest recorded for the species and were more typical of geographically marginal populations rather than of central ones. Unlike some other marginal populations, hispid cotton rats in southeastern Virginia did not lose significant body mass over the winter (when few juveniles were present) and survival in winter was not significantly …

A Valid Analysis Of A Small Subsample: The Case Of Non-Citizen Registration And Voting, Jesse Richman, David C. Earnest, Gulshan Chattha

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

The development of large sample surveys creates new opportunities for analysis of subpopulations that would hitherto have been impossible to examine systematically. But it also raises key challenges. Low level measurement error can potentially lead to substantial biases in estimates drawn from small subsamples. This study details strategies researchers may take to make inferences in the context of this subsample-response-error problem. In the non-citizen voting case, which recently has received substantial attention, we show that attention to any of these strategies -- group-specific response error estimates, correlated higher-frequency events, test-retest validity, or analysis of associated hypotheses – produces significant evidence …

Socioeconomic Status And Study Abroad: Participation, Academic Performance, And Graduation, Steven Douglas Bell

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Research into retention, academic performance, and degree completion of study abroad program participants positively correlates with the assertion of Kuh, Kinzie, Schuh, Whitt, and Associates (2005) that study abroad is a high-impact educational activity. Literature on study abroad participation, academic performance, and graduation status is limited. This quantitative study adds to the literature on study abroad, and specifically examines to what extent participation, academic performance, and graduation at four and six years for study abroad students differ by socioeconomic status.

Changes To Climate Central’S Risk Finder Tool: A Usability Report, Justin Sikes

OUR Journal: ODU Undergraduate Research Journal

Students in the Fall English 231C Honors Climate Change and Crisis Communication course worked with instructor Megan McKittrick and Dr. Richards to conduct a usability test of Climate Central’s Risk Finder tool. Using the qualitative data, general trends that indicate potential areas of improvement for the website were identified. Students’ tasks were to find volunteers for the usability test through systematic sampling, conduct the test and analyze the audio recordings, and finally to code the data for themes to see if any trends became apparent. Several things became noticeable after looking at the responses of the four research participants, particularly …

The Mace Conducts Study To Better Serve Odu Students, Jugal Patel

News Items

No abstract provided.

Determination Of The Ecological Condition Of Benthic Communities Affected By Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons In The Elizabeth River, Chesapeake Bay, Usa, Adam M. Webb

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River, a tributary of Chesapeake Bay, has historically been polluted with hydrocarbon based industrial by-products. My study compared benthic community condition from two locations in the Southern Branch: the subtidal region near Money Point, historically affected by pollution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), to a subtidal region near Blows Creek on the opposite shore that is putatively designated as unimpacted by P AH contamination. Samples from both study sites in the Southern Branch were compared to the benthic community condition of samples from the same habitat type designations collected as part of the Chesapeake …

Friends Or Foes: Interpreting The Relationship Between Two Synoptic Small Mammals In Southeastern Virginia, The Hispid Cotton Rat (Sigmodon Hispidus) And Eastern Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys Humulis), Sarah A. Crawford

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Relatively little is known about the relationship between the hispid cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus) and the eastern harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys humulis). Literature on these two syntopic genera in other areas of the United States suggests that competition may exist; however, both species seem to be greatly affected by environmental changes, making it difficult to draw any definite conclusions. Live trapping and microhabitat data collected from 2 old fields in Chesapeake, Virginia over a 9-year period were used to assess the biotic and abiotic influences on space use by these two species. Each I-ha plot consisted of 2 live traps placed …

Patterns Of Transience, Sex Bias, And Body Mass In Open-Habitat Rodent Populations, Stephen Edward Rice

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Rodents are assumed to live their lives in circumscribed (natal) areas with males being more prone to disperse than females and juveniles more prone to disperse than adults. To test these assumptions we examined the initial captures of geographic populations of hispid cotton rat, meadow vole, prairie vole, and marsh rice rat obtained through capture-mark-recapture methods. Capture records were obtained from Kansas and Illinois from long-term studies, and through live-trapping in Chesapeake, Virginia. I evaluated proportions of residents and transients, adults and juveniles, and males and females for significant differences among seasons, years, and geographic locations. The overall body masses …

Me And Betty Crocker, Or, From Waspy White To Mestiza: 75 Years Of General Mills, Linda Heidenreich

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[First paragraph]

In the late twentieth-century, General Mills, one of the largest producers of baking products in the U.S., changed the image of one of its marketing icons; that icon was Betty Crocker. For almost a century, the company had used the image to promote their baking products and cookbooks. The image, from its inception had been of a white woman, sometimes older, sometimes younger, but always WASPy white. In 1995 this image changed, and General Mills proposed a new Betty, a multi-cultural Betty, to appeal to an increasingly multi-cultural U.S. market (“General Mills Inc. to Create” E3; “General Mills …

Ecological And Genetic Status Of The Purple Pitcher Plant, Sarracenia Purpurea L., In Maryland And Virginia, Philip M. Sheridan

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Sarracenia purpurea is a rare wetland plant in Virginia and a threatened species in Maryland, with two potential subspecies in the region. I utilized restriction fragments from the intron of the chalcone synthase gene to compare S. purpurea populations and determine whether the subspecies concept was supported. I performed a census of existing populations, compiled all known historical data on the species, and investigated the reasons for the species demise and predicted dates of extinction. Bloom phenology was examined to see if climate change may have influenced bloom period. Soil, vegetation, and climatic information was obtained to determine if taxonomic …

Seasonal Variation In Diet Of A Marginal Population Of The Hispid Cotton Rat, Sigmodon Hispidus, Lynn A. Walker, Robert K. Rose

Virginia Journal of Science

Cotton rats live in oldfields, habitats with a variety of mostly herbaceous plants. Based on other studies, the hispid cotton rat, Sigmodon hispidus, eats many kinds of herbaceous plants but grasses predominate. In contrast, our population of cotton rats ate many monocots but mostly they were not grasses. Our study sought to determine the diet of the cotton rat in eastern Virginia, near the northern limit of distribution on the Atlantic Coast. Fecal samples, collected each month during an on-going capture-mark-release demographic study of the rodent community, were analyzed using a standard method. A greater variety of foods (including …

Correlates Of Marital Success A Homogamy Model, Sarah A. Raper

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This paper examines the relationship between five demographic homogamy variables and marital success. Throughout this paper, several questions were examined that seek to give a better understanding of the factors that impact the stability and quality of American marriages. Is homogamy an important issue in modern society, or have cultural advancements in American society made homogamy irrelevant? Do both ascribed and achieved characteristics still impact marital success? Data from wave one of the National Survey of Families and Households was used for the analysis. First, correlations between the heterogamy variables and marital success were evaluated. Next, regression models were used …

Seasonal Variation In Diet Of The Cotton Rat (Sigmodon Hispidus) Based On Fecal Analysis, Lynn A. Walker

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Cotton rats, Sigmodon hispidus, live in oldfields, habitats with a variety of mostly herbaceous plants. Based on other studies, the hispid cotton rat eats predominantly grasses, but grasses rarely are the only food. Fecal samples were collected each month during an ongoing capture-mark-release demographic study of the rodent community at a location in southern Chesapeake, Virginia. In the lab, five fecal pellets per animal were stained, placed on a microscope slide, and covered with starch-gel medium and coverslip. Then a clear nail polish was applied to produce a semi-permanent slide. Using a microscope and a set of reference slides, plant …

Abstracts Of Papers, 85th Annual Meeting Of The Virginia Academy Of Science, May 24-26, 2007, James Madison University, Harrisonburg Va

Virginia Journal of Science

Full abstracts of the 85th Annual Meeting of the Virginia Academy of Science, May 24-26, 2007, James Madison University, Harrisonburg VA

An Examination Of Seasonal Growth And Survivorship Of Sigmodon Hispidus In Southeastern Virginia, Heather Alyssa Green

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

A reexamination of specific population dynamic aspects of Sigmodon hispidus, the hispid cotton rat, is necessary in order to gain additional knowledge and perspective on this species in its northernmost distribution on the east coast of the United States. Previous studies of Virginia cotton rats were based on data from necropsies, which do not allow for the determination of certain population characteristics, such as density, growth, and survival. General population trends and rates of growth and survival in males and females throughout the seasons in Virginia will also provide a basis for comparison with populations of cotton rats in …

Invisible Men In Family Planning: Determinants Of Men's Unmet Need In Bangladesh, Mahmuda Khatun

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

The prevalence of unmet need for family planning is a primary justification for family planning programs, but the prevalence of men's unmet need for family planning and causes of unmet need have not been much explored. This study introduces the concept of men's unmet need for family planning. Using the data from Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey of 1996-97, this study examined the effect of some important correlates (age, socio-economic status, availability of the family planning services, and knowledge about contraceptive methods) on the unmet need for family planning. This study was designed to address the research questions: Do individual …

Research Awards, Virginia Journal Of Science

Virginia Journal of Science

Actions of the Virginia Academy of Science Research Committee for 2000-2001.

The Rhetoric And Reality Of Famine In Early Modern Europe, Karen Russell Adams

History Theses & Dissertations

Famine in early modern Europe was a reoccurring phenomenon that caused stress on individuals and their societies. In most historical accounts of famine, authors have placed emphasis on either the physical aspects of starvation, including studies of famine victims, both live and post mortem, or the disastrous effects of such crises on demographics. On occasion, a researcher has instead probed the accounts of famine left behind by its victims. This essay is an attempt to correlate famine narratives with the biological aspects of starvation.

In order to blend the physical and social aspects of famine, this researcher has investigated three …

Ecological Relationships Between The Marsh Rice Rat (Oryzomys Palustris) And The Meadow Vole (Microtus Pennsylvanicus) In Two Virginia Tidal Marshes, Christopher P. Bloch

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Small mammals were trapped for 23 months on two live trap grids in tidal marshes in Northampton County, on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, to examine ecological relationships between the marsh rice rat (Oryzomys palustris) and the meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus). Population density, survival rates, capture probability, recruitment, residence time, and home range size were calculated for each species. Patterns of reproductive activity and fluctuations in mean weight were also observed.

There were considerable differences in population dynamics between the two sites. At Grid 2, where vegetative cover was more abundant, population densities of rice rats and meadow voles …

A Quantitative Study Of Diet In Three Species Of Rodents In Natural And Irrigated Savanna Fields, Safianu Rabiu, Robert K. Rose

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

During July, 1990 - June, 1992 we collected stomach contents of necropsied rodents that totalled 494 Arvicanthis niloticus (Desmarest, 1822), 356 Mastomys natalensis (Smith, 1834) and 273 Tatera valida (Wroughton, 1906) from natural, savanna fields in Nigeria, and 528 Arvicanthis and 367 Mastomys from nearby irrigated fields, where Tatera was never trapped. The materials were processed and microscopically analyzed to determine patterns of diet selection. Sites were sampled for vegetative cover and rodent food resources. More than 90% of the stomach materials could be identified to one of four categories: dicots (vegetative), monocots (vegetative), seeds, and insects. Seeds constituted approximately …

Development Of The Inventory Of Life Span Events, Julie A. Dickison

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The possible relationship between stressful life events and subsequent illness has been studied in the past few decades, resulting in several widely-used questionnaires. However, these measures tend to focus on recent events and attempt to remove subjective rating of a stressful event by the respondent. These two factors may limit these scales clinical utility. An alternative measure, the Inventory of Life Span Events (ILSE) is proposed, to quantify the life-stress burden for childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and across the entire life span. ILSE was compared to other leading measures for life events, hassles and perceived stress, and was more closely related …

Home Schooling: A Study To Determine Student Achievement And Family Characteristic Relationships, Dennis Blackmore

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The problem of this study was to analyze students receiving home schooling and their family characteristic variables relating to academic achievement. The following research questions were intended to develop a plan of attack to reach conclusions: Do home school students have higher percentile scores on standardized achievement tests than national average? Do home school students have higher percentile scores in specific subject areas on standardized achievement tests than the national average? Do family characteristics relate to student achievement?