Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring Prayer Contexts And Health Outcomes: From The Chair To The Pew, E. James Baesler, Kevin Ladd

Communication & Theatre Arts Faculty Publications

Prayer in personal, interpersonal, small, and large group contexts is described in relationship to physical, psychological, and spiritual health. A sample of college and middle-aged adults (N = 189) completed cross-sectional surveys. Quantitative analyses revealed that prayer in all contexts predicted higher levels of spiritual health, and that the strongest prayer predictors of health were: large group prayer for mental health, and private and large group prayer for spiritual health. Qualitative results revealed that prayers for physical health in close personal relationships, and table blessing prayers among family members, were two of the most common types of prayer. Suggestions for …

Benefits Of Hiking: A Means-End Approach On The Appalachian Trail, Eddie Hill, Marni Goldenberg, Barbara Freidt

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

The purpose of this research was to examine the outcomes prompting hiking along the Appalachian Trail (AT). By using means-end theory, linkages between attributes, consequences, and values of the AT hiking experience were made. The researchers conducted forty-three interviews of AT hikers. Self-fulfillment, self-reliance, fun and enjoyment of life, and warm relationships with others were some of the values that emerged. Specifically, strong links existed between hiking and exercise, exercise and health, health and fun and enjoyment of life. While this area of research on the AT is new, results of this study can be used by recreational professionals that …

A Study To Examine Differences Between In Person And Online Survey Data Collection Methodologies, Robert Case, Weiming Yang

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine differences between the results of an in person or face-to-face direct spending survey and a post-event online direct spending survey. Participants in a large annual marathon held in the Mid-Atlantic Region of the United States were used as subjects for the study. The research methodology selected for this study included an in person survey instrument administered to out-of-town marathon participants prior to the start of the event during the race number and race timing chip pick-up period. The same survey instrument was administered online four days after the conclusion of the marathon …

The Cultural Production Of Health Inequalities: A Cross-Sectional, Multilevel Examination Of 52 Countries, Carol L. Mansyur, Benjamin C. Amick Iii, Ronald B. Harrist, Luisa Franzini, Robert E. Roberts

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

In a 2001 report, the U.S. National Institutes of Health called for more integration of the social sciences into health-related research, including research guided by theories and methods that take social and cultural systems into consideration. Based on a theoretical framework that integrates Hofstede's cultural dimensions with sociological theory, the authors used multilevel modeling to explore the association of culture with structural inequality and health disparities. Their results support the idea that cultural dimensions and social structure, along with economic development, may account for much of the cross-national variation in the distribution of health inequalities. Sensitivity tests also suggest that …

Method Against Method: Swarm And Interdisciplinary Research Methodology, Dylan E. Wittkower

Philosophy Faculty Publications

Part of a special issue on “swarm methodology,” this paper, written by a swarm participant, reflects upon the purpose and value of this kind of interdisciplinary research methodology. First, by way of a recognition of the interdisciplinary status of this paper itself, the question of what we hope to accomplish when we engage in conversations across disciplinary boundaries is broached. Second, a discussion of the practice of peer-review provides an approximate view of one paradigmatic understanding of how we produce a “conversation” within a given established research methodology. We are then, third, able to consider a number of possible related …

Alterations In Default Network Connectivity In Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Related To Early Life Trauma, Robyn L. Bluhm, Peter C. Williamson, Elizabeth A. Osuch, Paul A. Frewen, Todd K. Stevens, Kristine Boksman, Richard W.J. Neufeld, Jean Théberge, Ruth A. Lanius

Philosophy Faculty Publications

Background: The "default network" consists of a number of brain regions that exhibit correlated low-frequency activity at rest and that have been suggested to be involved in the processing of self-relevant stimuli. Activity in many of these areas has also been shown to be altered in individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We hypothesized that the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC)/precuneus, part of the default network, would exhibit altered connectivity at rest with other areas of the default network and regions associated with PTSD.

Methods: Seventeen medicated and unmedicated female patients with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related to early-life trauma …

Resting State Default-Mode Network Connectivity In Early Depression Using A Seed Region-Of-Interest Analysis: Decreased Connectivity With Caudate Nucleus, Robyn Bluhm, Peter Williamson, Ruth Lanius, Jean Théberge, Maria Densmore, Robert Bartha, Richard Neufeld, Elizabeth Osuch

Philosophy Faculty Publications

Aim: Reports on resting brain activity in healthy controls have described a default-mode network (DMN) and important differences in DMN connectivity have emerged for several psychiatric conditions. No study to date, however, has investigated resting-state DMN in relatively early depression before years of medication treatment. The objective of the present study was, therefore, to investigate the DMN in patients seeking help from specialized mental health services for the first time for symptoms of depression.

Methods: Fourteen depressed subjects and 15 matched controls were scanned using 4-T functional magnetic resonance imaging while resting with eyes closed. All but one subject was …

Community College Online Course Retention And Final Grade: Predictability Of Social Presence, Simon Y. Liu, Joel Gomez, Cherng-Jyh Yen

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

This study employed a quantitative research design to examine the predictive relationships between social presence and course retention as well as final grade in community college online courses. Social presence is defined as the degree of one's feeling, perception and reaction to another intellectual entity in the online environment. Course final grades included A, B. C, D, F, I, or W. Course retention was defined as successfully completed a course with an A to C grade. The results of the binary and ordinal logistic regression analyses suggest that social presence is a significant predictor of course retention and final grade …

A New Generation Of Goals For Technology Education, John M. Ritz

STEMPS Faculty Publications

[Introduction, First paragraph]

To develop meaningful instructional programs for technology education, goals need to be in place to direct the outcomes of curriculum development and teaching. Goals are program terminal outcomes that focus curriculum writers or teachers who structure content for learners. Goals provide direction so content can be delivered for long-term impact to students who study the subject. They go beyond everyday teaching objectives; they are directed at long-term learning and programmatic outcomes.

Relationship Between Discipline Referrals In Career And Technical Education As Compared To Core Classes, Kim Genge

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

A study to determine whether there was a relationship between discipline referrals in career and technical education as compared to academic classes for determining factors that could be used to reduce referrals in eighth grade. Determine the number of referrals written by career and technical education and academic teachers. Determine if career and technical education classes provided environments and instructional strategies which reduced discipline referrals.

Celebrity's Fashion And Beauty Lines Influence On Consumer's Choice, Samantha Corbus

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The problem of this study was to determine males' and females' consumer behavior toward celebrity fashion and beauty lines.

Culture And The Social Context Of Health Inequalities, Carol Leler Mansyur, Benjamin C. Amick Iii, Luisa Franzini, Robert E. Roberts

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

There is a great deal of recent interest and debate concerning the linkages between inequality and health cross-nationally. The U.S. National Institutes of Health recommended in 2001 that any new research on health disparities should include social and cultural systems as units of analysis. Nevertheless, many public health interventions and policies continue to decontextualize risk factors from the social environment. Exposures to social and health inequalities probably vary as a consequence of different cultural contexts. To identify the processes that cause social and health inequalities, it is important to understand culture's influence. Navarro's research on political institutions and inequality illustrates …

See Me, Hear Me, Coach Me, Marcia L. Rock, Madeleine Gregg, Pamela W. Howard, Donna M. Ploessl, Sharron Maughn, Robert A. Gable, Naomi P. Zigmond

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

The writers describe the implementation of virtual coaching for teachers in Alabama and Pennsylvania. They describe use of bug-in-ear devices, revolutionized by Internet and mobile technology advances, to provide on-the-spot feedback as teachers deliver instruction. They outline lessons learned from virtual coaching initiatives and present research results showing the positive impact of this approach on both teachers and students. They also provide advice for those using this approach on making contact and providing feedback.

Rapid Sensor Technology: A Risk And System Complexity Analyses Of Early Detection Of Influenza-Like-Illnesses, Cesar Ariel Pinto, Ipek Bozkurt

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The development of effective and reliable methods to defend the nation against biological terrorism remains an urgent challenge to researchers in the areas of risk, bio-defense, public health, and emergency medicine. The emerging threat of the avian flu pandemic also highlights the unpreparedness of our nation's health care system to meet a highly contagious and infectious disease outbreak. The implementation of a rapid sensor technology for early detection of influenza-like-illness provides possible opportunities, as well as problems. Bounding and defining such a complex problem is one of the first challenges this research addresses. Approaching this problem from various perspectives such …

Enhancing The Collection Process For The Delphi Technique, Petros Katsioloudis, John Brocato (Ed.)

STEMPS Faculty Publications

The purpose of this manuscript is to describe a process that enhances the data collection process for a Delphi technique. The approach consists of online platforms to expedite the process and reinforce the validity of the Delphi technique. The context of the study was the identification of quality indicators for visual-based learning material development for Technology Education programs for grades 7-12.

Lexical Composition Of Effective L1 And L2 Students' Academic Presentations, Alla Zareva

English Faculty Publications

The present study set out to examine the lexical profiles of L1 (n = 30) and proficient L2 students' presentations (n = 30), aiming at finding out the overall lexical composition of successful academic presentations. It was also of interest to see how some of the presentations' lexical features compared to findings about the lexical composition of students' productively used vocabulary in writing. In addition to this, the analysis focused on the lexical composition of both groups' oral production in an attempt to uncover patterns of lexical uses that may need to be discussed in oral communication courses, specifically targeting …

Embedding Simulation Education Into The Engineering Management Body Of Knowledge, Andreas Tolk, Ghaith Rabadi, Donald N. Merino

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Faculty Publications

The American Society for Engineering Management (ASEM) established a Body of Knowledge (BoK). As simulation is of growing interest to engineers in general and to engineering managers in particular, simulation is part of this documentation of domains of interest that characterise the profession. The basis for the Body of Knowledge comprises of established and accredited curricula and additional input from practitioners of the field. As it is essential to cover the basic topics and core competences as well as application specific domain knowledge, the simulation education for engineers is categorised into topics on simulation theory and simulation application.

Object Knowledge: Researching Objects In The Museum Experience, Elizabeth Wood, Kiersten F. Latham

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

This paper investigates an interdisciplinary perspective on museum research, offering a new orientation and methodology for fieldwork. It begins from the stance of "object knowledge", which describes the ways of knowing that come from human interaction with and study of physical objects. Next, is the documentation of the power of objects to define the lived experience of time, place, and identity, presented with an applied and theoretical perspective on tangible objects and their relationship to lived experience. Through object knowledge we argue that museums can better understand their impact and influence on visitors and define the ways that objects and …

Making Theatre-Making: Fieldwork, Rehearsal And Performance-Preparation, Kate Rossmanith

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

In a large rented room in Sydney, Australia, on hot January days, a small group of practitioners have only three weeks to rehearse for a large production. 'Let's run that scene again. Let's just push through,” I hear them say over and over. As metaphors, ‘running' and ‘pushing' are not only articulated verbally, but the movement within the space and the presence of the Realpolitik of production create an adrenaline-like pulse. The director spends rehearsals barefoot with an unlit cigarette in his hand, which he might use as a bookmark or he shoves it behind his ear or plays with …

Methodological Approaches To Studying The Social Monad: A Consideration Of Interdisciplinary Sociological Research, Christina Weber

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

In this paper, I explore the methodological considerations involved in conducting research on a historically traumatic event. By focusing on the rich set of social discourses at work within my case study of the Vietnam War, the research emphasized the generational impact of this historically traumatic event through interdisciplinary approach to sociological research. My research included a two-pronged data collection and analysis process. The first consisted of interviews I conducted with children of (male) Vietnam Veterans. The second consisted of textual analyses of film, television, and literature of the Vietnam War and Vietnam Veteran. In this paper I discuss the …

Detection And Assessment Of Quality Indicators Of Visual Based Learning Material In Engineering Education Programs For Grades 7-12, Petros Katsioloudis

STEMPS Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to detect the quality indicators of visual-based learning material in technology education for grades 7-12. A three-round modified Delphi method was used to answer the following research questions: RQ1: What indicators should quality visual-based learning material in technology education have to be effective and efficient in transmitting information for grades 7-12? RQ2: What are the indicators of the learner’s characteristics that impact the selection of visual-based learning material in technology education for grades 7-12?

Examination Of Instructional Strategies And Teaching Methods Used In Training A Platform Battle Command System To Sustainment Warfighters, Lori Rapovy

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The problem of this study was to determine if different teaching methods lead to improved short term student comprehension conducted during the FBCB2 operator course.

Significant Differences Between Seventh And Eighth Grade Students Enrolled In Keyboarding To Earn High School Credit, Kellie Wheeler

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The purpose of this study was to investigate seventh and eighth grade students end of course grades in keyboarding to determine if their passing score were higher for students who were more mature in age.

Relationship Of Gender To Grades In A General Education Technology Course, Harry Stout

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

A study to determine the relationship between male and female student's final grades in a general education technology course to determine if gender plays a role in achieving academic excellence in the course. There is no correlation between a student's gender and the achievement of academic excellence in a post-secondary technology course.

Effects Of Employee Participation And Behavior-Based Safety Programs On Osha Recordable Incident Rates, Andrew Nowicki

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The problem of this study was to determine the effect of employee participative and behavior-based safety programs on OSHA recordable incident rates so it could be determined which type of safety program should be adapted by all of Scholle Packaging's North American facilities.

Primary Factors In Consumer Purchase Decisions Of Women's Footwear, Kristen Ducatte

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The problem of this study was to determine the primary factors in consumers' final purchase decisions of women's footwear by category to increase sales.

Review Of Student Performance In Developmental Mathematics Courses Taught At Virginia Western Community College, T. Jonathan Bayer

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The problem of this study was to determine changes that should be made by Virginia Western mathematics faculty to improve developmental mathematics instruction.

Consumer Behavior And Eco-Friendly Fashion Apparel, Christine Montero

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The problem of this study was to determine consumer behavior toward eco-friendly fashion lines in order to increase sales.

Workkeys Mathematics Skill-Level Scores As Predictors For Placement Into College-Level Mathematics, Wanda Sadler

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

A study to determine the relationship between the WorkKeys applied mathematics skill level scores and the COMPASS/ESL mathematics placement scores as predictors for placement in college level mathematics.

Employees' Attitudes Toward Acquiring Progressive Career Opportunities In A Retail Corporate Corporation, Kasana Carter

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The problem of this study was to determine employees' attitudes at a retail corporation corporate headquarters in Chesapeake, Virginia, toward acquiring progressive employment opportunities within the organization and its relationship to employee satisfaction.