Digital Commons Network^™

Exercise As A Therapeutic For Hiv-1-Associated Neurocognitive Deficits, Michael N. Cranston

Theses and Dissertations

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV-1) afflicts nearly 38 million individuals worldwide (Joseph et al., 2013; “WHO | HIV/AIDS,” 2016). Despite the reduction in disease mortality due to increased use of antiretroviral medication, HIV-1 associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) affects approximately 50% of HIV infected individuals (Antinori et al., 2007; Castellon, Hinkin, Wood, & Yarema, 1998; Castelo, Sherman, Courtney, Melrose, & Stern, 2006; Cysique & Brew, 2009; Heaton et al., 2011, 2015). The brain itself is particularly sensitive to HIV-1 related viral proteins and viral infection (Masliah, DeTeresa, Mallory, & Hansen, 2000), thus, it is vital to empirically examine potentially effective therapeutics which …

A Quasi-Experimental Study On The Effectiveness Of Ccr&R Ta/Coaching On Child Care Center Licensing Compliance, Wenjia Wang

Theses and Dissertations

High quality in early care and education is critical for children in their early ears and has a lasting benefit through their lives. Research in various fields such as education, medicine, psychology, economics. has provided evidence of positive outcomes for children who have been exposed to safe, rich, and engaging environments in their early years through high quality early care and education. The baseline of child care quality is providing protection for children by establishing regulations on health and safety areas such as response to disease, fire and other building safety, injury, abuse and neglect, adequate supervision, and developmentally appropriate …

Breaking The Mold: Personalized Learning’S Impact On The Development Of Higher-Order Thinking Skills, Mark Jon Hladek

Theses and Dissertations

Personalized learning (PL) is a pedagogical model designed to focus on meeting students where they are in the learning process, tailoring an individual instruction plan, varying the learning experience to prepare students for life beyond school, and creating a flexible environment that allows for student ownership and voice in the learning process (Rickabaugh, 2016). A PL model is designed to better address 21st century competencies and higher-order thinking skills as well as the inclusion of agency and self-efficacy development deemed necessary for success in the modern society (United States Department of Education [USDE], 2010). The purpose of this action research …

Reading Material: Personal Libraries And The Cultivation Of Identity In Revolutionary South Carolina, Gabriella Angeloni

Theses and Dissertations

In South Carolina, a colony known for its wealth and transatlantic connections, private libraries offer a unique lens through which to explore the culture of reading and book ownership that was an essential part of daily provincial and early national life. Largely overlooked by historians, personal libraries functioned as statements of wellrounded, often cosmopolitan identities before, during, and after the Revolutionary War. A careful reading of newspaper advertisements, probate inventories, loyalist claims, and correspondence, in conjunction with extant books, bookcases, portraiture, and spaces allows us to reconstruct the culture of reading and book-ownership that dominated Lowcountry society before 1800. Doing …

Sleep, Shiftwork Adaptation, Autonomic Dysfunction, And Metabolic Syndrome, Torrance Torrance

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Sleep is considered a physiological necessity and its disruption is associated with a wide variety of adverse mental and physical health outcomes including increased incidence of obesity, cancer, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, stroke, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), work-related and vehicle accidents, and aberration of the autonomic nervous system.

Methods: Three studies were conducted from three separate populations. The first study examined the latent trajectories of self-reported sleep quality in active duty Army soldiers over a 3-year period using data from the Global Assessment 2.0 survey and Repeated Measures Latent Class Analysis (RMCLA) procedures. Generalized Estimating …

The Effect Of Mindful Practices On The Independent Learning Process Of Third-Grade Montessori Students, E. Simone Mori

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine the impact mindfulness practices would have on the independent learning processes of third-grade students in a Montessori setting. For the purpose of the study, independent learning processes were measured using three parameters: (a) self-reports of perceived learning on-task and off-task behaviors, (b) students’ ability to effectively use mindfulness practices autonomously as a self-regulating behavior when off-task, and (c) teacher-researcher’s observations, along with teacher-participant’s and instructional assistant’s reporting, of improved autonomous learning behaviors and students’ autonomous use of mindfulness practices as a self-regulating behavior. The study occurred over a five-week period during the …

Movement Break Effects On Second Graders: An Action Research Study, Windy K. Sizemore

Theses and Dissertations

This paper describes an action research study regarding the amount of time elementary school children have to engage in movement and play during the school day. The teacher-researcher focused on using transitional movement breaks before math whole group instruction in an effort to answer the question: How do various types of movement breaks during instructional transitions impact off-task behaviors among second grade students during classroom instruction? The data results showed that physical activity related to students’ abilities to stay on-task during instruction when regularly scheduled movement breaks have been implemented as transitions. Student off-task behaviors decreased after using a physical …

The Impact Of A Forest School Model And An Interdisciplinary Curriculum In A Third-Grade Classroom: An Action Research Study, Valerie Hoyt-Parrish

Theses and Dissertations

New policy at LHP (pseudonym) requires all teachers to implement the Danish Forest School approach and integrate the natural outdoor areas surrounding the campus in their curriculum and pedagogy. The purposes of the present study are to identify the cognitive, affective and psychomotor impact of the Danish Forest School approach on students and to design a professional development plan for teachers that enables them to combine this approach within an interdisciplinary framework that will include the State Standards that are required of all third-grade students in this southern, private, parochial school. Action research methods were used to collect observational data …

Education’S Role In A System Of Care For Children And Youth With Emotional/Behavioral Challenges: A Mixed Methods Evaluation, Lauryn Young

Theses and Dissertations

Students with more severe emotional/behavioral (EB) challenges have many problems in the school environment and subsequently have significant difficulty making adjustments later in adulthood. Coordinated care systems, such as local system of care (SOC) initiatives, were established in response to a call for reform in youth mental health services as research began highlighting the need for improved access and quality of mental and behavioral services for youth. However, even in communities where SOC initiatives are operating well, school involvement is usually marginal. Therefore, the current study aimed to evaluate education’s role in one SOC for children and youth with EB …

Comparison Of Sentinel-2 And Landsat 8 Oli In The Mapping Of Soil Salinity In Hyde County, North Carolina, Eleanor Davis

Theses and Dissertations

This study presents the first comparison of Landsat 8 OLI and Sentinel-2A MSI imagery in identifying soil salinity using soil physiochemical, spectral, statistical, and image analysis techniques. By the end of the century, intermediate sea level rise scenarios project approximately 1.3 meters (4.2 feet) of sea level rise along the coast of the southeastern United States. One of the most vulnerable areas is Hyde County, North Carolina, where 440 square miles of agricultural lands are being salinized, endangering 4,200 people and 40 million dollars of property. To determine the best multispectral sensor to map the extent of salinization, this study …

Progress Monitoring Timing Effects In Speech And Written Language Therapy, James P. Blaida

Theses and Dissertations

Progress monitoring is a crucial aspect of speech-language pathology. Without it, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have little way of determining if patients are making progress with the implemented therapy. Currently, most SLPs perform progress monitoring during therapy. This study compared the traditional, status-quo, method of progress monitoring to that of progress monitoring performed before therapy begins in an effort to determine if a timing change would affect therapy outcomes. 2 boys, receiving articulation therapy, and 1 girl, receiving spelling therapy, each had 1 treatment goal for the during condition and 1 treatment goal for the before condition. The children all received …

Impact Of Design Challenges Upon The Development Of Critical Thinking Skills Within An Undergraduate Image Manipulation Course: A Mixed Method Action Research Study, Charles Treado

Theses and Dissertations

The overarching purpose of this study was to improve upon critical thinking through the use of scenario-based design challenge interventions. The study was conducted within an introductory graphic arts course in higher education that focused upon Adobe Photoshop and image manipulation tools, techniques, and terminology. Twelve introductory level graphic arts students participated in the study. In addition to scenario-based design challenge interventions, a reflective practice framework that used scaffolded questioning was developed to guide students in their use of critical thinking about image manipulations.

Through a mixed-methods action research design, the study explored the concepts of design challenge interventions and …

Characterizing Health Behavior Information: Developing A Surveillance Text Mining Framework Using Twitter For Diet, Diabetes, Exercise, And Obesity, George Shaw Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Previous studies have documented the relationship that exists among diabetes, diet, exercise, and obesity. Obesity increases people’s risk of developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Exercise and proper dieting are modifiable lifestyle behaviors that can help with reducing people’s overall weight and risk to various chronic conditions like diabetes. A national survey conducted by the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) is the annual Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS). Twitter provides researchers with a new opportunity and alternative data source to collect information regarding health behaviors using real-time data. Previous studies have demonstrated Twitter’s ability to monitor …

Neuroanatomical Correlates Of Speech And Melody Repetition In Chronic Stroke, Sarah Elizabeth Bradford

Theses and Dissertations

The ability to repeat speech is impaired in most individuals with aphasia. Recent evidence suggests damage to area Spt (boundary of the parietal and temporal lobes at the Sylvian fissure) may cause the repetition difficulties commonly seen in aphasia. This study examined if such repetition impairments are specific to speech or reflect a more general repetition deficit, and determined how regional and network brain damage predict repetition impairments. Participants in the chronic phase of stroke (N=47) listened to a series of ten five-second melodies that consisted of six tones and repeated the melody (by humming) following its presentation. The participants’ …

Twelfth Grade Students’ Perceptions Of Linked Learning Pathways, Scott Weimer

Theses and Dissertations

During the era of standardized testing in California, Central High School District (CHSD- pseudonym) had created a single course of study that all students were expected to follow to maximize results on state exams. This single course of study was not relevant to a large majority of the students who graduated from the district and they were not prepared for life after graduation. The new accountability system has allowed CHSD to expand the course of study that is being offered. The district has several programs that follow the Linked Learning model which uses project based learning to pair core academic …

The Impact Of An Accelerated Course Format On Student Success For A Community College Media Arts Production Class, Nathan T. Winters

Theses and Dissertations

This paper describes a problem of practice stemming from an institutional transition to accelerated formatted courses at Progressive Community College (PCC), a pseudonym for a 2-year college located in the southeastern United States. In order to improve student success, the college transitioned from a traditional 15-week course format to an accelerated 7-week format. The identification of the problem of practice led to the development of a research focus examining the impact of an accelerated 7-week format on student success for a media arts production course. The study implemented action research methodology, collecting both qualitative and quantitative research data.

Action research …

More Than Meets The Eye: Development Of A Sport Event Stimuli And Destination Image Fit Scale, Yongjin Hwang

Theses and Dissertations

Much research demonstrates an impact of sensory experience on sports fans’ satisfaction with live sporting events (Lee, Heere, & Chung, 2013; Lee, Lee, Seo, & Green, 2012). It was, however, not studied how to enhance those sense-centric experiences. One possible approach would be to utilize unique region-based characteristics to design unforgettable and emotionally engaging experiences. Most sporting events are location-based, and venues are also considered as a landmark of the area where they are placed. Consequently, we can create a natural link between sporting events and the hosting cities or regions. Visual designs, musical contents, famous local food, and signature …

The Play’S The Thing: Engaging 6th Grade Social Studies Students Through Movement, Karen Clinkert Paggi

Theses and Dissertations

This paper is a description of a proposed action research study driven by a problem of practice. The problem for this action research is that the teacher-researcher’s sixth-grade social studies students lack critical thinking skills. Critical thinkers are engaged and learners who analyze complex issues and challenges within society. The teacherresearcher observed her students performing well on standardized benchmarks that rely on recalling facts, while simultaneously struggling to analyze explicit and implicit information from primary and secondary sources in order to make relevant and logical conclusions. After observing sedentary teaching practices in her classroom, the teacherresearcher began to review a …

Interpersonal Communication About Cigarette Warning Labels Among U.S. Smokers: Differences Between Latinos And Whites, Victoria Catherine Lambert

Theses and Dissertations

Pictorial health warning labels (HWLs) on cigarette packs are used worldwide to curb cigarette smoking, the leading preventable cause of death in the United States While individual-level mediators of HWLs’ effects on cessation have been thoroughly studied, interpersonal communication about HWLs has received less attention in HWL research. However, results from one study demonstrated the importance of interpersonal communication, finding that conversations about HWLs predicted quit attempts in Australia, Canada, and Mexico. That study also found that smokers in Mexico, where most smokers are Latino, reported more conversations than smokers in Australia and Canada, where most smokers are non-Latino White. …

Systematic Evidence-Based Assessment And Intervention Of Client Feedback In Youth Mental Health Treatment In A Private Practice Setting, Crystal M. Kremer

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to conduct a systematic investigation to determine whether the use of client feedback measures enhance the mental health treatment of youth in private practice settings. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups, treatment as usual or the Client Feedback condition. Clients who were assigned to the Feedback condition completed the feedback measures routinely at each session. The Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC) and/or Pediatric Symptom Checklist – Youth Version (PSC-Y) were completed at intake and at each 3-month progress review summary, and/or closure per normal office standards. Significant findings indicated that all participants …

Global Problem-Based Learning In Math, Dora Fletcher

Theses and Dissertations

In the high school of focus in this study, mathematics students struggle to transfer and apply skills to unfamiliar contexts. Also, minority students are underrepresented in advanced mathematics course enrollments. This two-part study consists of a longitudinal analysis of enrollment trends in mathematics courses as well as an action research study of the impact of Global Problem-Based Learning on achievement and attitudes in advanced mathematics classes. The study was conducted at a southern U.S. International Baccalaureate (IB) high school with an annual enrollment of approximately 1300 students. The longitudinal study examined three cohorts of high school graduates, 797 students, beginning …

Factors Affecting Patient Satisfaction With Healthcare System Of Turkey, Serdar Aydin

Theses and Dissertations

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health system as comprising of all the organizations, resources, and institutions dedicated to improving health. Health systems have a responsibility not just to improve the health of the population they serve but to provide financial protection against the costs of illness and to respond to people’s expectation with dignity. Besides, healthcare satisfaction and consumer satisfaction have become the latest trend in measuring quality to have a competitive advantage or best practice in the healthcare industry. Over the past 30 years, consumer satisfaction has gained widespread recognition as a measure of quality in many services …

Intervention For Women In Costa Rica Who Are Discouraged And Have Food Insecurity And Excess Body Weight, Tatiana Martínez-Jaikel

Theses and Dissertations

ntroduction: The coexistence of food insecurity and excess body weight has been wellrecognized by researchers, and it has been documented in women, but not men. Both food insecurity and excess body weight have multiple consequences for physical and mental health. Concerns have been raised about interventions aimed to reduce food insecurity because these programs might contribute to excess body weight, particularly in adult women. Our previous in-depth qualitative research in Costa Rica showed that discouragement was the primary link in the coexistence of food insecurity and excess body weight among Costa Rican women, and that the family and existing gender …

Sex Differences In Predicting Nicotine-Induced Behavioral Sensitization From Habituation To Novelty And Initial Drug Response, Jessica Illenberger

Theses and Dissertations

Administration of nicotine evokes an immense mesolimbic dopamine response that progressively increases, or sensitizes, with repeated drug exposure and can be monitored indirectly through rodent’s motor activity. Sex differences in observed rates of behavioral sensitization in rodents appear to be consistent with epidemiological reports of smoking in humans, which indicate that females are more sensitive to the repeated effects of nicotine. Sex differences in sensitization to nicotine may explain why females progress towards addiction faster than males and so in order to effectively treat and prevent nicotine use in vulnerable populations, it is necessary to identify other factors that can …

Teaching Social Justice With Literature Circles To Improve Reading Discussions: An Action Research Study, Lori Teuton

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation addresses a problem of practice stemming from the lack of engagement students exhibit for reading social justice texts. Students today are in more culturally and socially diverse classrooms; their curriculum needs to reflect these social changes. A review of the problem of practice led to the research question: Does implementing literature circles with social justice texts in a secondary classroom foster engagement in reading and classroom discussions for students? The primary purpose of this proposed action research study was to examine if implementing literature circles with social justice texts leads to increased conversations and engagement in the classroom. …

Frontier Re-Imagined: The Mythic West In The Twentieth Century, Michael Craig Gibbs

Theses and Dissertations

T The author begins by reviewing Frederick Jackson Turner’s 1893 “Frontier Thesis” and by surveying the twentieth-century consensus of the “New Western Historians.” The author then poses a question: even though the physical frontier “closed” in the late-nineteenth century, did American writers turn away from the imaginative frontier? To a great extent, the writers of literary fiction did turn to other material during the modernist period. Simultaneously, however, Westerns began to dominate popular fiction and film. More notably, writers such as Raymond Chandler began to transform the traditional Western. In Philip Marlowe, Chandler created an urban cowboy; this cowboy locates …

Intersection: Reading, And Adult Homelessness And Public Libraries, Deborah W. Yoho

Theses and Dissertations

A deeper understanding of reading as more than a set of word-attack and decoding skills may help to guide public librarians seeking to fully implement the ethical professional standard of equitable access to information for everyone, including marginalized patrons such as adults experiencing homelessness. As public libraries respond to questions about their continued relevance in a digital age, an understanding of how libraries can contribute to solutions to community social needs such as homelessness has the potential to broaden community support for more inclusive library programming. In this qualitative study of the experience of reading among eight adults in a …

The Effect Of Emphasizing Key Vocabulary On Student Achievement With English Learners, Sarah L. Owen

Theses and Dissertations

This action research seeks to determine the impact of teacher training and the use of specific instructional strategies, per the research-based SIOP® teaching model, on English language arts achievement of formally identified first grade English Learners. The study aims to discover if using strategic techniques to teach vocabulary positively affects language acquisition and comprehension. English Learners have historically lagged behind grade level peers in all academic areas. English Learners tend to have many outside variables that can affect their ability to focus on school. Issues with immigration, class, culture, and race are all relevant topics with this population. This study …

From Seeds To Shoreline®: A Place-Based Approach To Impacting Student Engagement And Achievement, Molly Lloyd

Theses and Dissertations

Place-based education refers to pedagogy that connects student learning with the local environment and students’ lives. Educators’ preoccupation with standardized test scores have increased the disconnect between formal education and student’s life experiences. Schools have developed systems of learning in isolated subjects through reading texts, listening to lectures, or watching videos rather than authentic, experiential learning. School districts have embraced a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and science) approach to education as a way of invigorating student learning. There are many approaches to integrating, hands-on, inquiry-based science lessons. As science PASS test scores have declined, educators are examining best STEM instructional …

Attitudes And Thoughts On Tone Quality In Historic Piano Teaching Treatises, Jeongsun Lim

Theses and Dissertations

Various approaches to the perception and production of tone quality on the piano have been suggested throughout the history of piano pedagogy. Tone quality differences are controversial among physicists, acoustic scientists, pianists, and piano pedagogues. Studies and research began to investigate tone quality with scientific experiments, and physicists and scientists asserted that differences in tone quality are differences in pitch, intensity, duration, and in combinations of tone and noise. They asserted that tone quality does not change with different physical touches and the pianist cannot control the quality of the tone. However, pianists and pedagogues believed that pianists have control …