Digital Commons Network^™

Examining The Effects Of Cell Phone Use On Caregiver Supervision And Child Injury Risk, Mckenna Corlis

Dissertations

Unintentional injuries are the leading killer of children in the United States. Research indicates caregiver supervision decreases child injury risk, but has not examined how different distractions may affect this relation. Specifically, research has not considered if and how caregiver cell phone use affects child injury risk. Given the prevalence and distracting effects of cell phones noted in previous studies, it is imperative to examine how caregiver cell phone use and child injury risk relate.

The present study examined how distractions influenced caregivers’ ability to tend to their child and their child’s engagement in risky behavior. Using a within-subjects design, …

A Comparison Of The Effects Of Sustained Silent Reading And Reciprocal Reading On Reading Motivation For Middle School Students With Reading Delays, Margaret Uwayo

Dissertations

Research suggests that secondary students with reading delays may lack reading motivation, which can be defined as the temporal reinforcement value of texts for an individual. However, reading motivation may be a critical component of their acquisition of reading proficiency. The purpose of the current study was to compare the effects of two research-based reading interventions - sustained silent reading and modified reciprocal reading - on the reading motivation of middle school students with reading delays. Participants were four 6th-grade students who were grouped into dyads in a reading intervention classroom. The primary dependent variable was book engagement under pairing …

Using Novel Spectroscopy Tool To Study Organized Self-Assemblies, Mohammad Rafe M Bin Hatshan

Dissertations

Organized self-assemblies are the cornerstones for countless biological processes and are integral parts of lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, nucleic acids, and cell membranes. Several man-made organized assemblies also play a vital role in interdisciplinary sciences that include micelles, reverse micelles, polymers, polyelectrolytes etc. Weak chemical interactions such as hydrogen bonding, p-p stacking, hydrophilic-hydrophobic and electrostatics often result in interesting organized self-assemblies. Understanding organized self-assemblies provides a huge opportunity to mimic naturally occurring biological macromolecules, design materials and develop strategies for specific applications. Several techniques are routinely used to understand the organized self-assemblies, and optical techniques play an important role in most …

The Meaning Of The Civil War In Northern Religious Periodicals, 1865-1877, Jeffrey Mark Charles Joslin

Masters Theses

The American Civil War had a profound effect on the minds of religious northerners during the Reconstruction Era that followed the war. Through church periodicals, members of the Methodist, African Methodist Episcopal, and Seventh-day Adventist churches demonstrated and expounded the various meanings they understood the war to contain. This thesis examines each denomination‘s flagship newspaper in order to categorize, describe, and contextualize the major themes of meaning attributed to the war within each church. The major themes that emerge closely reflect each church‘s sense of identity and purpose, such as viewing the war as punishment from God, purification in creating …

An Exploration Into The Controls And Extent Of Capillary Rise In Fine-Grained Sand, Neal S. Turluck

Masters Theses

Capillary rise in fine-grained sands is especially important due to the wide distribution of fine-grained sediment throughout the unconsolidated sedimentary layers blanketing the earth. The height to which water rises above the water table in porous media is known as the capillary fringe. Tension pulling on the water molecules from the solid surfaces of pores will cause water to rise in the unconsolidated fine-grained sands until the water reaches equilibrium with the downward force of gravity.

Researching the controls behind capillary rise and being able to predict the extent to which water will rise in fine-grained sand helped provide insight …

Analysis Of The Demands Of A Student Athlete, Jaret Curtis

Honors Theses

College athletics has become a staple in our society today. In this analysis, I do a detailed analysis of the demands of a collegiate student athlete. To be more specific, I look at how participating in college athletics affects hirability post-graduation. I am currently a football student athlete here at WMU so I have first person access to this information and can relate very well to this topic. I obtained information by taking an autobiographical approach and applying my experiences as a student athlete and using outside research to answer the question of whether or not being a student athlete …

They Said: International Occupational Therapy Perspectives On The Role Of Technology In Practice, Amy Wagenfeld

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

No abstract provided.

A Preliminary Historical Report On Embracing Online Education In Occupational Therapy, Janel Anne Belarmino, Angela Bahle-Lampe

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

The relevance and popularity of online occupational therapy education have been increasingly recognized. This paper describes the historical development of online occupational therapy education. Findings revealed three shifts in occupational therapy education, namely shifts in perception, in mode of instruction, and in the roles of teachers and students. The inception of online education in occupational therapy was a product of technological advancement and the demand for improved access to occupational therapy online education. The early phase of occupational therapy online education was confronted with challenges related to hesitance in the development and implementation of online programs and to negative perceptions …

Challenging The Status Quo: Infusing Non-Western Ideas Into Occupational Therapy Education And Practice, Wanda J. Mahoney, Anne F. Kiraly-Alvarez

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

The authors of this Topics in Education article, who are both occupational therapy educators, reflect on challenging concepts related to decolonizing occupational therapy education, an idea they first encountered at the 2018 World Federation of Occupational Therapists Congress. They acknowledge that Western views heavily influence the occupational therapy concepts they teach to their students. The downside of approaching occupational therapy education and practice primarily from a Western worldview is that occupational therapy students and practitioners may perpetuate societal inequities through their practices and are not well-prepared to address the occupational needs of individuals and communities around the world. This article …

Serving High-Risk Youth In Context: Perspectives From Hong Kong, Chi-Kwan Shea, Nancy Jackson, Christine Haworth

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: High-risk youth are often defined in occupational therapy terminology as adolescents and young adults who experience personal, contextual, or environmental barriers to effective participation in healthy, age-appropriate occupations. Without assistance for participation, these youth may acquiesce to daily routines of unhealthy risk-taking or isolation, failing to achieve developmental milestones needed for successful transition to adulthood. There are known therapeutic services targeting this population, but occupational therapy involvements have been sparsely documented.

Method: Having been affiliated with a community-based occupational therapy program serving high-risk youth for many years in the US, the principal investigator of the study used …

Life After Losing An Adult Child To A Drug Overdose: A Kawa Perspective, Aaron Weis, Julie D. Kugel, Heather Javaherian-Dysinger, Jessica Nicole De Brun

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Limited research is available to occupational therapy practitioners focusing on parents’ abilities to cope with the loss of an adult child to a drug overdose. We examined the unique experiences of grieving parents from a Kawa model perspective to identify potential implications for occupational therapy.

Methods: We used a qualitative approach in which 11 participants completed Kawa drawings and participated in semi-structured interviews.

Results: Following a Kawa model analysis themes emerged: volatile nature of flow, support from inner circle and connection with outer circle, lonely islands, personal attributes of positivity and economics, and enhancing my river’s flow.

Conclusion: The …

Opportunities And Challenges For Community-Based Ecotourism Development: The Case Of Alatish National Park, Northwest Ethiopia, Kassegn Berhanu

International Journal of African Development

Contrary to traditional forms of tourism such as mass tourism, ecotourism has widely been recognized as an economic diversification and developmental tool, and an appropriate approach for conservation of natural resources for destinations with tourism heritage possessions as it provides protection and economic incentives. The aim of this study is to assess opportunities and challenges for community-based ecotourism development. A mixed research approach was devised and a cross-sectional research design was used. Tools of primary data collection were questionnaires, focus group discussions, interviews and observation checklists. Secondary data were collected from related articles, research and documents obtained from offices. Quantitative …

Understanding Remittances In Eritrea: An Exploratory Study, Fikresus Amahazion

International Journal of African Development

Migration has been characterized as a fundamental component of the human experience, and today there are several hundred million international migrants around the world. Although migrants leave their home country, they maintain links, particularly through remittances. Economic remittances supplement the domestic incomes of millions of poor families and are vital for many developing countries. This paper explores economic remittances into Eritrea, examining the particular trends, amounts received, and how remittances are generally consumed. Additionally, the paper explores general perceptions about remittances and their impact upon society in Eritrea. Based on interviews and focus group discussions with individuals and households across …

International Journal Of African Development, Vol. 5, Issue 2

International Journal of African Development

Complete issue of International Journal of African Development, Volume 5, Issue 2 - Spring 2019.

Connections 07/2019, College Of Health And Human Services

College of Health and Human Services Newsletter

• Agreement will lead KCC students to WMU BSW program
• Camp for blind and visually impaired athletes breaks down barriers
• College hosts Kalamazoo Promise GEAR UP event
• MSW named top social work program for trauma care
• Business class completes 3,700+ hours of service in one semester
• Football Broncos tackle tree clearing for Habitat for Humanity
• USWNT's equal pay fight echoes challenges of female sports pioneers

Inspire E-News 07/08 2019, College Of Engineering And Applied Sciences

College of Engineering and Applied Sciences News

• Sunseeker team engineers their way to impressive finish at Formula Sun Grand Prix
• Student saves middle school's robotics season
• From mechanical engineering student to entrepreneur
• Metal casting: A different type of summer camp
• Faculty members receive honors, present paper
• NASA internships have alumnus reaching for the stars
• It starts with an egg drop: Students teach refugee children about science, math
• CEAS receives $40,000 grant from DENSO
• Students win Michigan Space Forum poster competition
• Student's logo design deemed one of the best
• Professor guides high school students to engineering competition wins

Western Michigan University Magazine, Summer 2019, Western Michigan University

Western Michigan University Magazine (1997-present)

• University News
• Generating Buzz
• Feeling Their Way Around
• Sound Performance
• Vested Interest
• Hey, Siri -
• Expert Insight
• Honored for Innovation
• Highly eSTEAMed
• Broncos' Big Ideas
• Awarded for Excellence
• Alumni Profile
• STEM Standouts
• Reduce, Reuse, Research

Melusine's Footprint: Tracing The Legacy Of A Medieval Myth, S. C. Kaplan

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

No abstract provided.

Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Isolated From Michigan Birds - A High School Learning Experience, Cody Benfant

Honors Theses

Bacteria, extremely small prokaryotic cells, are everywhere throughout the world. One striking thing about bacteria is their size: comparing a 2-micrometer bacterial cell to a 6-foot-tall human is similar in scale to comparing a 6-foot-tall human to the distance between Chicago, IL and Denver, CO! Despite their small size, bacteria are found in almost every ecosystem and environment imaginable. From deep sea hydrothermal vents to the clouds miles in the sky, there are trillions of bacteria flourishing in all of Earth’s ecosystems, performing many important functions in global nutrient cycles. While the majority of bacteria are beneficial to humans, …

June 2019 Newsletter, Haworth College Of Business

Haworth College of Business News

• Student earns national social impact scholarship
• Two student entrepreneurs receive awards for innovation
• Students take third in national advertising competition
• Sales and business marketing once again earns national top program accolades
• A fruitful internship
• Center lauded for supporting region's small business community
• Class Notes 2019

Connections 06/2019, College Of Health And Human Services

College of Health and Human Services Newsletter

• Physical therapy department welcomes inaugural cohort
• Improving access to care in rural and undeserved areas
• CHHS expands CE programming
• PA students active in their communities
• College committee receives Rising Star in Diversity Award
• In other WMU news for you
• CHHS in Social Media

June 2019 Newsletter, Haworth College Of Business

Haworth College of Business News

• Student earns national social impact scholarship
• Twp student entrepreneurs receive awards for innovation
• Students take third in national advertising competition
• Sales and business marketing once again earns national top program accolades
• A fruitful internship
• Center lauded for supporting region's small business community
• Class Notes 2019

Playing Merlin: Authorship From Geoffrey Of Monmouth To Neomedievalisms, Keith Russo

Dissertations

The twenty-first century is the age of new media for old stories. Just as film, television, and print have adapted medieval literature into movies like Excalibur and Monty Python and the Holy Grail, video games have produced new versions of Arthurian tales whose mysterious origins blur the distinction between history and myth. Many academics are concerned with the authenticity of the various representations of the Middle Ages and the “historical” Arthur and Merlin and label any postmedieval adaptation as an “anachronistic” medievalism. However, electronic texts have provided a different focus: studying the multiplicity of rewritings of those names through …

Exploring The Dynamics Of Scientific Research, Shilpa Lakhanpal

Dissertations

Scientific research papers present the research endeavors of numerous scientists around the world, and are documented across multitudes of technical conference proceedings, and other such publications. Given the plethora of such research data, if we could automate the extraction of key interesting areas of research, and provide access to this new information, it would make literature searches incredibly easier for researchers. This in turn could be very useful for them in furthering their research agenda. With this goal in mind, we have endeavored to provide such solutions through our research. Specifically, the focus of our research is to design, analyze …

Curtis Otto Bismarck Curtis-Smith, Hollis Claire Wittman

Masters Theses

Curtis Otto Bismarck Curtis-Smith, composer and pianist, spent the majority of his career serving the community at Western Michigan University. His development of the bowed piano technique contributed significantly to the course of music in the late twentieth century; his prolific compositions stand on their own artistic merit. This document attempts to provide a summation of the composer’s life, particularly in regard to his compositional activity. The first section, a biography, discusses Curtis-Smith’s life and the changes to his compositional style over his lifetime. Next, a catalog of works details the available information about the many pieces written by the …

Methodology To Qualify And Monitor A Chemically Bonded Sand System Used In Foundries, Prayag Pravinbhai Patel

Dissertations

The goal of this dissertation is to establish a new quality control framework that combines a statistical process control (SPC) approach to casting quality for chemically bonded sand systems used in foundries. Foundries in the United States use the American Foundry Society standardized sand testing to monitor chemically bonded sand systems. These standardized tests are inefficient for two reasons. Firstly, standard tests are based on mechanical, physical, chemical and thermal properties of a sand system that do not consider interaction between these properties, but sand casting processes are inherently thermo-mechanical, thermo-chemical and thermo-physical. Secondly, these tests can only detect large …

The Relationship Of An Ipad, A Video Magnifier, And Large Print Text With Oral Reading Outcomes For Children With Low Vision, Rosemary L. Nave Stawasz

Dissertations

Low vision may cause a decrease in visual performance and interfere with daily functioning, especially reading print or text materials. Reading standard text can be particularly challenging for students with low vision in an educational setting and can reduce oral reading rates. Students with low vision may use large print or low vision devices for reading. Limited evidence currently exists to compare oral reading outcomes across various reading media for children with low vision.

The purpose of this exploratory project was to examine oral reading rate, fluency, and comprehension among children with low vision when using an iPad, a video …

Repression And Resistance: A Social History Of The Gay Social Movement Of Tijuana, México 1980-1993, Jesse Anguiano

Dissertations

Social movements are shaped by the historical context in which they emerge and provide a window to understand how collective action develops. The literature on social movements suggests that macro factors such as political climate and dominant social scripts affect the direction of a social movement. However, examining solely the macro perspectives on a movement reveals only part of how and why groups mobilize. This dissertation uses historical and archival resources to document the social history of Gay men living in Tijuana, México. This research is guided by a main research question: What explains the successful and ongoing mobilization of …

Connections 05/2019, College Of Health And Human Services

College of Health and Human Services Newsletter

• Doctor of Physical Therapy program reaches important milestone
• Title IX training opportunity
• Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences publishes 2019 newsletter
• PA student attends national summit in DC
• Art exhibit urges viewers to look beyond stigma
• In other WMU news for you
• CHHS in social media

May 2019 Newsletter, Haworth College Of Business

Haworth College of Business News

• Zhang Career Center celebrates 10-year anniversary
• Finance students gain real-world skills through Bloomberg partnership
• The payoff of perseverance
• Marketing students claim second place at social media marketing competition
• Accountancy students take first and third in best practices competition
• Business students clinch e-Fest victories
• Dollars & Sense: Be a Finance Pro
• Business Career Camp: Build Your Brand
• Beyond the Lemonade Stand: An Entrepreneurship and Innovation Experience