Digital Commons Network^™

The Effect Of A Contextualized Dosage Calculation Learning Intervention On Pre-Nursing Students’ Math Self-Efficacy And Ability To Pass High Stakes Dosage Calculation Examination On First Attempt, Eileen Veronica Weatherby

Dissertations

Many students in pre-licensure nursing programs struggle with calculating accurate medication dosages even though they meet the numeracy requirements for application to the nursing programs. Most pre-licensure programs require that nursing students pass dosage calculation exams at a specified level of accuracy before progressing to the next term. Students typically have three tries to pass at the specified level and should they not succeed, they must withdraw. If they wish to continue in the program, they must complete the requirements for re-entry which may include space availability restrictions. Factors influencing dosage calculation performance include fear of mathematics, low math self-efficacy, …

Applying Bayesian Growth Modeling In Machine Learning For Longitudinal Data, Alisa Udomvisawakul

Dissertations

There has been increasing interest in the use of Bayesian growth modeling in machine learning environment to answer the questions relating to the patterns of change in trends of social and human behavior in longitudinal data. It is well understood that machine learning works properly with “big data,” because large sample sizes offer machines the better opportunity to “learn” the pattern/structure of data from a training data set to predict the performance in an unseen testing data set. Unfortunately, not all researchers have access to large samples and there is a lack of methodological research addressing the utility of using …

Health-Related Quality Of Life Of Children With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Noelle Lynn Whitney

Dissertations

This cross-sectional study examined the influence that age/disease severity, pain, and/or family functioning have on different domains of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) from the perspectives of patients with a degenerative neuromuscular disease and their parents. Participants included 44 parents/caregivers and 39 patients between the ages of 6- and 25-years, who have a confirmed genetic diagnosis of Becker Muscular Dystrophy (BMD) or Duchene Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). Patients and/or their caregivers completed measures of HRQOL (PedsQLTM 4.0 Generic Core scales, Varni et al., 1999) and family functioning and well-being (PedsQLTM 2.0 Family Impact Module, Varni et al., 2004), as well as …

Families’ Experiences Raising A Child With Optic Nerve Hypoplasia, Amber L. Rundle Kahn

Dissertations

Optic nerve hypoplasia (ONH) is a leading cause of childhood visual impairment. Children with ONH are at significantly increased risk for a number of concomitant neurological and behavioral problems. This study applied phenomenological qualitative research methods to investigate the experiences that parents of children with ONH have with raising their child. Twelve parents of children with ONH were interviewed. Three major categories emerged from the data: (a) resiliency of parents who have children with ONH; (b) strategies that families of children with ONH use; and (c) connections that support families of children with ONH. The categories and associated themes are …

Nursing Perceptions And Attitudes Toward Sex Trafficking: Does Victim Gender Matter?, Sarah Rapoza

Dissertations

Sex trafficking (ST) often goes unrecognized; yet, it is a pervasive issue that disproportionately affects marginalized populations. Sex trafficking involves the act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring, or receiving of persons for the purpose of commercial sex acts. As a result of ST, victims suffer adverse health effects and often present to healthcare facilities while still under control of their traffickers. Few healthcare personnel are aware trafficking is happening in their geographical areas and victims are rarely identified or offered assistance. The majority of studies and interventions related to ST focus on female victims despite evidence that males are also …

Women And The Superintendency, Jennifer Carol Perry

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether past and present female superintendents in Colorado felt their career paths were gendered. In addition, what strategies they used to navigate their experiences were examined. A qualitative multi-case study design was used to structure this study. A social constructionism philosophy as described by Crotty (2003) guided the study. The multi-case design and epistemology support collecting multiple experiences within a phenomenon (Crotty, 2003). Participants were selected through purposeful snowball sampling. The community of female superintendents in Colorado is small and connected. This study included four retired female superintendents and five who are …

Development Of A New Foot And Ankle Activity Level Instrument Using The Rasch Model For Orthopaedic Clinical Application, Lauren M. Matheny

Dissertations

Patient-reported outcomes, commonly referred to as PROs, are one of the most valuable tools in assessing general health status of patients, health-related quality of life, functional levels, and symptoms (Abrams, 2017; Acquadro et al., 2003; Bingham et al., 2017). Understanding the patient’s perspective of their own functional and symptomatic levels is important for clinicians for several reasons (Acquadro et al., 2003). PROs have been considered invaluable for understanding the impact of a disease on patients, guiding treatment decisions, evaluating treatment efficacy, and interpreting clinical outcomes (Acquadro et al., 2003; Bingham et al., 2017; Wu et al., 2013). More and more …

Faculty-Student Interaction And Impact On Well-Being In Higher Education, Cortney Elizabeth Holles

Dissertations

This educational criticism and action research study was conducted in the spring of 2020 to better understand the impact that faculty-student interaction has on the well-being of faculty and students. Classes moved to remote instruction halfway through the semester, prompting an additional research question on the impact of COVID-19 on faculty-student interaction and well-being. Data were collected at an engineering school from five faculty (4 participants and the researcher) and their students primarily through interviews, focus groups (with 16 student participants), and a student questionnaire (with 73 student respondents). Data analysis was structured with Uhrmacher, McConnell, and Flinders’ (2017) instructional …

Predicting Student Success In Coursework Within A Regional Online School: An Analysis Of Student-Level And School-Level Predictors, Cary J. Stamas

Dissertations

Online education options in the K-12 environment have steadily increased from the infancy of online education at the turn of the millennia. Educators have utilized this format to meet the many different needs that exist for all students. Early research into the academic success of students in these environments prior to 2000 indicated there was no significant difference in student achievement for distance learning as compared to face-to-face learning. Since 2000, there has been increased focus on student performance in higher education online environments, but research is limited for K-12 schools. For the research that does exist, school-level variables and …

Are All These Elementary Assessments Necessary? Phenomenological Study Of Standardized Assessments In The Elementary School Setting, Cathy Wright

Dissertations

All children warrant a rich, meaningful public education that prepares them for the opportunities, responsibilities, and challenges that await them as contributing members of a democratic society and a global economy. Based on testing calendars, teacher testimonials, and applied research from other state and local mandated testing studies, this study found that the length of time students spend taking and preparing for the test is extensive. CBS News (2015) noted between 20-25 hours are spent by each student taking standardized assessments, according to a comprehensive report of 66 of the nation’s large-city school districts by the Council of the Great …

Creating Appropriate Clinical Guidelines For The Bilingual Population With Acquired Brain Injuries, Sophia L. Pena

Dissertations

While there is a growing bilingual demographic in the United States, relatively little is known about treating this population should they experience a brain injury. This is a growing area of interest, as research has demonstrated that the acquisition of a second language promotes neuroplastic changes that then impact brain functioning pre- and post-brain-injury. Given bilingualism’s cognitive complexity, clinicians are left with challenges on how best to tailor treatment for brain-injured bilingual populations. Therefore, the focus of this review was to provide clinical recommendations to clinicians performing assessments with bilingual individuals with acquired brain injuries. The goal was for the …

Leadership Strategies That Exemplary K-12 Latina Superintendents In California Use To Create An Organizational Culture Of Inclusiveness Using Kennedy’S Five Leadership Qualities Of Cultural Differences, Martha Martín Pérez

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this sequential explanatory mixed methods study was to identify and describe the leadership strategies that Latina superintendents in California use to create an organizational culture of inclusiveness using Kennedy’s (2008) 5 leadership qualities of cultural differences.

Methodology: This sequential explanatory mixed methods study analyzed quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews to identify and describe strategies found when analyzing the data. This study summarized the findings that emerged to identify and describe strategies that create an organizational culture of inclusiveness.

Findings: Examination of mixed methods data from the 15 Latina superintendents in California participating in this study indicated …

Mixed-Method Investigation Of Truancy Intervention Program In A Midwest Public Urban School District, Stephanie Scurlark-Belt

Dissertations

In pursuance of analyzing attendance at Midwest Public Urban School District (a pseudonym), the researcher investigated the high school’s truancy intervention program's effectiveness. The research intervention program's goal was to find what worked in the program, what needed to be changed, and how practical the truancy intervention program was. To investigate the program, the researcher used a Skyward software system to collect all quantitative data. The data system gave all chronological data information covering attendance from the Freshman enrollment 2016-2017 school year to the first semester senior year, December 2020. Qualitative data were used to analyze if the truant students’ …

From Barriers To Success: How Elementary School Principals Strategically Lead Schools To Become 21st Century Learning Exemplar Schools, Heather Gold

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to examine the barriers and support systems elementary principals describe, through the lens of Activity Theory, they experienced while leading their schools to achieve 21st century learning exemplar status.

Methodology: This phenomenological study examined the perceptions of 15 elementary and K-8 principals and their respective assistant principals regarding the barriers and support systems they experienced while leading their schools to achieve 21st century learning exemplar status. Participants were selected based on the criteria that they had been identified as exemplary by the Partnership for 21st Century Learning (P21); were public, non-private, …

Confronting And Dismantling Whiteness In Higher Education: A Grassroots Approach, Winnie Needham

Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to investigate how an Educational Studies department in a small, Midwestern liberal arts college might confront and dismantle whiteness in curricular, pedagogical, and policy choices. Utilizing a critical participatory action research design, five higher education faculty engaged in a critical conversation inquiry group (Schieble et al., 2020) to develop their critical literacy (Rogers and Mosley, 2014). This study was designed to answer the following questions: How do faculty within an Educational Studies department think about their racial identities and the relevance of racial identity to the program, the institution, and higher education? …

Technology-Enhanced Interaction, Residency Requirements, And Student Characteristics In Fully Online Programs And Their Relationship With Student Connectedness, Susan Dellasega

Dissertations

This study included an investigation of several aspects of fully online programs and their relationship with student connectedness. Bawa (2016) stated retention rates for fully online students lag far behind their traditional in-person counterparts. Green et al. (2017) concluded online students who feel more connected are more likely to persist in their online programs. This quantitative study included data collected from students enrolled in fully online programs offered by a regional, four-year public institution. The survey instrument included a measurement of student connectedness as determined by the Online Student Connectedness Survey (Bolliger & Inan, 2012). Additional information collected from participants …

Strategies Exemplary Mental Health Leaders Use To Stay Grounded While Working With Veterans, Audrey Dangtuw

Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this explanatory mixed method study was to identify and describe what exemplary mental health leaders in Puget Sound area mental health facilities serving veterans do to maintain their physical, emotional, intellectual, social, vocational, and spiritual health based on the six dimensions of Rosen's (2014) healthy leader model.

Methodology. An explanatory mixed methods approach was selected to allow the triangulation of data to increase the validity of the findings. The study analyzed quantitative surveys to identify how exemplary mental health leaders rate their use of grounded leadership strategies and qualitative semi-structured interviews to identify strategies exemplary mental …

A Comparative Analysis Of Effective Mathematics Curriculums In The State Of Missouri, Matthew Robert Britt

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the mathematics curriculums and implementation strategies of high-performing school districts in Missouri. The study was designed to determine any similarities or differences in the selection of mathematics curriculums or in implementation strategies among these high-performing school districts. Scores from the mathematics section of the ACT during the years all Missouri 11th-grade students were mandated to take the ACT were used to make determinations about the efficacy of mathematics curriculums and implementation strategies. The school districts with an average score in the top 10% of the state during the mandated years were asked …

Which School- And Community- Characteristics Lead To Charter School Success?, Susan Marino, Sarah Ranney

Dissertations

Charter schools have existed in the United States for thirty years, with mixed results. Research has largely focused on charter school failure and an analysis of what led to the demise. This study aimed to understand characteristics predicting charter school success, alongside those predicting failure. Specifically, it focused on a charter school’s first six years to understand how one successfully establishes a strong foundation, with the expectation that early success will lead to long-term success.

To understand characteristics predicting charter school success and failure, a review of existing data determined which charter schools were successful. Then, founding school leaders were …

Evaluation Of An Elopement Risk Assessment Tool In An Acute Inpatient Psychiatric Hospital, Beth Lockhart

Dissertations

Persons admitted to acute care, inpatient psychiatric facilities often pose a threat to themselves or others, a situation which could quickly devolve if they were to leave treatment prematurely. There is a need for an elopement risk assessment with appropriate interventions correlating to level of risk. An acute care, inpatient psychiatric hospital implemented an elopement risk assessment tool in March of 2020. This quality improvement project used an observational descriptive design and comprised of a retrospective chart review, aimed to determine the effectiveness of the risk assessment tool on decreasing elopements. Charts of those that eloped in 2019 (n=8) and …

Increasing Adherence Of Pump Integration With Electronic Medical Record Through Simulation, Judi Reeves

Dissertations

Problem: Intravenous (IV) medication errors account for one-third of the medication errors made by nurses in the United States. A measure to combat medication errors is the development of IV pump integration where the IV pump is electronically connected to the electronic medical record (EMR). With IV pump integration, the nurse is responsible for turning on the pump, scanning the medication and the IV pump, and confirming in the EMR. Human error is removed when the IV pump integration system automatically programs and starts the IV pump. This is a technical system which requires the nurse to have expertise in …

Is United States’ Economic Power In Decline? Can China Replace The U.S. As The World’S Next Economic Superpower?, Islam Bakirci

Dissertations

The decline of American economic power has been passionately debated for decades. Starting from the Kennedy administration, there were many cases that declinist scholars interpreted as the beginning of American economic power decline. The financial crisis of 2007-09 is the latest case of the same debate. However, unlike the previous cases, declinist scholars who support the idea of U.S. economic power is in decline after the financial crisis, strongly believe that this time the decline is different. This time the decline is real. In addition, the same scholars also argue that China, as an economic challenger which is different from …

At The Top Of The Chart: A Composite Counterstory Of Black Students’ Mathematical Success, Joslyn N. Richardson

Dissertations

Mathematics as a discipline has ignored the experiences of African American students, making it difficult for them to develop strong mathematical identities and racial identities in relation to math. Black children and their academic achievements are often framed negatively, and underachievement and failure are often emphasized over their brilliance and resilience. This qualitative study adds to the limited body of knowledge by examining student perspectives and socialization factors that contribute to positive math identity and achievement in middle school students. Using a Critical Race Theory framework, data was collected through semi-structured interviews and math autobiographies that were structured around the …

Effect Of Instructional Support Structures On Novice Teachers’ Efficacy And Job Satisfaction, Ashley Nicole Klein

Dissertations

As school districts across the nation continuously struggle to retain high-quality, effective teachers, a closer look into teacher efficacy and job satisfaction was warranted (Ingersoll et al., 2018; Sutters & Savage, 2016). The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship among novice elementary teachers’ efficacy, instructional support, and job satisfaction in their first through fifth years of teaching. Five hundred sixteen Missouri public school districts were invited to participate in the study, and 48 school districts participated. The instrumentation for this study included the Teacher’s Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES), the Leadership Coaching Competencies Inventory, and the Job …

Systems Of Success: African American Women Prepared, Dawna Sturdivant Wharton

Dissertations

This study generates a vision for African American schooling based on the lived experiences of Black women, born between 1965 – 1980, who have persisted through college and graduate studies. This research centers the voices of Generation X African American women, to discover the impact school systems have had on their development toward adulthood and how their experiences help construct their vision of Black education for the future. Using the ecological systems theory to position that school systems help create meaning and impact development towards adulthood, the study asks participants to envision an education system that enables success for African …

Suicide Mortality Of Emergency Department Patients, Briony Marie Dubose Mhi, Rn, Lss, Bb

Dissertations

Purpose The purpose of this retrospective comparative study is to describe relationships among biological, psychological, sociocultural factors and emergency department (ED) care among discharged ED patients and describe the association of these variables with subsequent suicide mortality.

Rationale Identifying patients who are most at risk of suicide mortality post ED discharge can focus resources, refine interventions, and prevent suicide. Additionally, recognizing patterns of ED care including ordering of a psychiatric evaluation and disposition status can provide data for potential practice changes.

Background Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States and has been since 2008. Suicide …

Matrix Product Structure Of A Permuted Quasi Cyclic Code And Its Dual, Perian Perdhiku

Dissertations

In my Dissertation I will work mostly with Permuted Quasi Cyclic Codes. They are a generalization of Cyclic Codes, one of the most important families of Linear Codes in Coding Theory. Linear Codes are very useful in error detection and correction. Error Detection and Correction is a technique that first detects the corrupted data sent from some transmitter over unreliable communication channels and then corrects the errors and reconstructs the original data. Unlike linear codes, cyclic codes are used to correct errors where the pattern is not clear and the error occurs in a short segment of …

An Education System Built On The Pillars Of White Supremacy And Anti-Blackness: A Collection Of Autoethnographic Studies Depicting How Black Kids Never Had A Chance, Abena B. Boateng, Ida B. Casey, Jamie C. Klupe, Julie C. Moorman, Angeline Williams-Jackson

Dissertations

In this collection of autoethnographic studies, a group of five women with differing racial identities takes us through each of their deeply personal journeys of social justice awareness and transformation. Using the theoretical frameworks of Critical Race Theory and Critical Whiteness Studies, these women share personal narratives of their lived experiences depicting how the education system in the United States is built on the pillars of White supremacy and anti-Blackness. Through their stories, we learn that schools are not meant for all students to succeed, and in actuality, Black students never had a chance. This collection of autoethnographic studies exposes …

Surviving And Thriving As A New Principal: Discussing What It Takes To Be A New Principal Through A Narrative Approach, Patrick Fisher

Dissertations

One often overlooked aspect of school success and student achievement is the vital role of the school principal. While much of the education reform conversation focuses on topics such as accountability, school-family connections, and individual teacher practices, it is the principal who ultimately impacts each of these areas and who can be the driving force behind school growth. Considering this, current high rates of principal turnover are troubling as this may impact many schools across the country. If a principal is to have a positive impact on a school community, it will take a long-term effort, and for this to …

Oneida College Lacrosse Players’ Perspectives Of The Sacred Game Of Lacrosse, Thomas Reed

Dissertations

Oneida college lacrosse players have an important perspective on the sacred game of lacrosse that needs to be heard. The Oneida are one of six tribes of the Haudenosaunee, or also known as, the Iroquois. Lacrosse is one of the fastest growing sports in the world and the style played today is most similar to the Haudenosaunee style. Oneidas are traditionally orators and lacrosse players. There is a lack of literature on the Oneida, lacrosse, and education. Oneida college lacrosse players face a problem in attempting to preserve their traditional Indigenous knowledge at their respective university communities, while also seeking …