Digital Commons Network^™

Providing Hospice Care For Children: An Organizational Study, Lisa C. Lindley

Dissertations

Background. Of the 54,000 children, who die in the US, many lack access to hospice care. As terminally ill children increasingly return home to die, little is known about the hospices that provide care for children and what factors may influence whether care is provided. Objective. To understand the institutional and resource factors that may influence the provision of hospice care for children, while controlling for organizational and market factors. Methods. This study used a retrospective, longitudinal design.

The Effect Of High-Fidelity Simulation And Traditional Didactic Lecture On First Semester Junior Baccalaureate Nursing Students' Knowledge Acquisition, And Self-Confidence Using The Solomon-Four Group Research Design, Trudy Williams

Dissertations

Nurse educators are challenged with preparing nurses to practice in complex Health care settings. Nursing graduates often feel unprepared to meet the performance expectations placed on them by the Health care industry, displaying a lack of self-confidence and knowledge. The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of high-fidelity simulation (HFS) as a teaching pedagogy on first semester, junior baccalaureate nursing students (N = 98) enrolled at an HBCU in southeast Louisiana. More specifically, this study examined the effect of the independent variables, traditional didactic lecture and (an HFS-focused respiratory physical assessment scenario) intervention, on the dependent variables, …

The Relationship Among Nurse Manager Leadership Style, Span Of Control, Staff Nurse Practice Environment, Safety Climate, And Nurse-Sensitive Patient Outcomes, Katreena Merrill

Dissertations

Despite the compelling need for strong nursing leaders who establish vision and create an evidence-based environment that fosters quality and safety, many hospitals have increased responsibilities of nurse managers, potentially compromising leadership at the bedside. The aim of this study was to elucidate relationships among safety climate, staffing, education level, manager leadership styles, practice environment, and patient outcomes. This study also compared two methods to measure nurse manager span of control. A correlational study was conducted in nine hospitals in a healthcare system. The instruments "Unit Safety Climate Survey, Practice Environment Scale, Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire, and a demographic survey" distributed …

Teach-Back Method And Brown Bag Review In The Psychiatric Population: An Evidence-Based Practice Project, Kori M. Pfeiffer

Dissertations

Investigators have recommended using the teach-back method (TBM) and brown bag review (BBR) to decrease medication errors and improve medication adherence among patients at all literacy levels. Unaddressed low health literacy levels have led to decreased medication adherence and increased medication errors. Medication non-adherence and misunderstanding affect 50% of individuals who suffer from a chronic illness, which impacts overall healthcare costs, quality of life, and sobriety.

Ptsd Symptom Interaction Among Victims Of Interpersonal Violence: A Network Analysis, Robert Graziano

Dissertations

Along with numerous combinations of symptoms, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is linked to high dropout and non-response rates in treatment. Poor treatment response may be due to an inaccurate conceptualization of PTSD. One newer approach to the conceptualization of psychopathology is network theory. Network theory posits that symptoms both directly and indirectly reinforce each other, with connections between symptoms varying in strength. Previous studies of network theory and PTSD have found intrusive symptoms to be highly central, but have not included samples of individuals traumatized by interpersonal violence. Because trauma type has been shown to predict symptom presentations, this represents …

Discipline-Culture And Instructional Practices: An Integrated Leader's Role, Joe L. Griffin

Dissertations

The goal of this study was to identify the extent to which integrated leadership is present in schools, according to secondary teachers. Second, the study sought to measure the discipline-culture of schools. Discipline-culture is defined as the way discipline is administered daily in a school and how it contributes to the instructional practices that teacher’s use. Finally, integrated leadership, coined by Marks and Printy (2003), was examined relative to discipline-culture and instructional practices with this study. Leadership has been studied in multiple countries across various grade levels, but integrated leadership's influence on discipline-culture and instructional practices has not been researched. …

An Atomistic Study Of The Effects On Mechanical Properties And Bonding Interactions Of Carbon Nanofillers In Nylon 6 Nanocomposites, Michael Roth

Dissertations

Polymers have potential for a wide range of applications. The effectiveness of polymers can be further enhanced through the addition of nanofillers that improve thermal, mechanical, and electrical properties of the polymer. Carbon based nanofillers such as carbon nanotube (CNT), graphene, and carbon nanofibre (CNF) are of particular interest due to their high properties and high aspect ratios. However, limited understanding of the governing interactions of these nanofillers with polymers limits the effectiveness of the final nanocomposite.

The first facet of this dissertation focuses on determining the dominating interactions between pristine CNT and graphene with nylon 6 monomer and the …

Chemoenzymatic Study Of Coa-Linked Rna In Bacteria, Krishna Sapkota

Dissertations

The ability of RNA to store genetic information and to catalyze biochemical transformations led to the speculation of the existence of RNA world before the evolution of contemporary ribonucleoprotein (RNP) world. Recent discovery of RNA molecules containing metabolic cofactors including coenzyme A and its various thioesters at their 5’ end further supported the RNA world hypothesis as these CoA-linked RNA molecules could be the molecular fossils with very ancient origin. As both RNA and Coenzyme A are believed to have co-existed since last universal common ancestor (LUCA) or even before, the CoA-RNA conjugates in current biology may reveal fundamental molecular …

A Dynamic F5 Algorithm, Candice Mitchell

Dissertations

Gröbner bases are a “nice” representation for nonlinear systems of polynomials, where by “nice” we mean they have good computation properties. They have many useful applications, including decidability (whether the system has a solution or not), ideal membership (whether a given polynomial is in the system or not), and cryptography. Traditional Gröbner basis algorithms require as input an ideal and an admissible term ordering. They then determine a Gröbner basis with respect to the given ordering. Some term orderings lead to a smaller basis, but finding them traditionally requires testing many orderings and hoping for better results. A dynamic algorithm …

The Ecology And Evolutionary History Of Two Musk Turtles In The Southeastern United States, Grover Brown

Dissertations

Turtles are among one of the most imperiled vertebrate groups on the planet with more than half of all species worldwide listed as threatened, endangered or extinct by the International Union of the Conservation of Nature. The Southeastern United States is a global biodiversity hotspot for turtles, and it likely represents the last area on the planet of both high diversity and high abundance of turtle species. In the past century, there has been an exponential increase in the number of publications on turtles in the United States and Canada, however a recent review of the literature suggests that this …

An Analysis And Stylistic Comparison Of Five Works For Unaccompanied Tuba By John Stevens, Tracy Bedgood

Dissertations

In this dissertation, the five unaccompanied works for tuba by John Stevens are examined. The first half of this project is the analysis. The compositions are introduced with their collected background material, which includes the date of composition, programmatic elements (if any), and the circumstances under which the pieces were written. As each piece is analyzed, examples are provided that reveal the primary form and motivic content. Following the analyses, there is a discussion of style that covers musical language, devices, and a comparison of these elements among the pieces featured in the document. In the final section of the …

Transgender College Students In The English Composition Classroom In The Rocky Mountains, Tracey Williams

Dissertations

Transgender students face challenging and unique experiences in academic classrooms on college campuses. This qualitative study, which used queer and transgender theory, sought to examine the realities of transgender students’ experiences within the English Composition classroom in the Rocky Mountains. English Composition is a class nearly every undergraduate student must take, no matter their major. It acts as a microcosm of the college population. Composition classes are generally small (20-25 students), offering a more intimate setting than other general education classes in college. Additionally, personal writing is expected, as is sharing work with classmates for peer-review sessions. Within this context …

An Econometric Analysis Of Bilateral Import Demand In South Africa, Christopher Smith

Dissertations

One of the most significant challenges facing any society is the allocation of scarce economic resources that have alternative uses. Though imports can streamline the allocation of scarce resources in an economy, the potency of a country’s import policies are subject to the magnitude of import elasticities with respect to income, domestic prices, foreign prices, and exchange rates. This research estimates the bilateral income, domestic price, import price, and exchange rate elasticities between South Africa and its five largest trading partners: China, Germany, the United States, India, and Saudi Arabia using quarterly data from 1998 – 2017. The bounds testing …

A View From Above: Alternative Perspectives On Smallholder Livelihoods And Agrobiodiversity Conservation In Northern Ecuador, Chris Hair

Dissertations

Food security and deintensification of agriculture are serious concerns in Latin America. Agriculture, especially at small-scale subsistence levels, is hard work, and comes with some economic and physical risk. Transitions from traditional multi-cropping to mono-cropping systems introduce two particular risks that are new to most smallholders: (1) the loss of agricultural diversity and (2) the potential for widespread failure when focusing on the cultivation of a single crop. This research explores how Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS), or drones, can be used for rapid inventories of crop diversity and to enhance crop management techniques on small-scale farms. In the community …

A Performance Guide To Wallace Stevens' Thirteen Ways Of Looking At A Blackbird As Set By Louise Talma, Meredith Melvin Johnson

Dissertations

This dissertation presents a two-fold discourse, first to provide a contextual source for singers interested in 20^th century composer Louise Talma, and second to provide an analytical guide to Talma’s adaption of Wallace Stevens’ poem Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird for voice, oboe, and piano. Though Talma’s composition never became renowned, it is both a commendable achievement and a highly sophisticated work, interweaving musical creativity with the extra-musical stimuli borne from the personal experiences of the composer.

The body of the document will feature four main chapters. The first chapter will introduce composer Louise Talma, the second …

Work-Life Balance: Perceived Differences Of Teleworkers And Non-Teleworkers, Christian Paul Lagarde

Dissertations

As the growth in the number of dual-career couples continues, couples attempt to balance the demands of career and family (Berlato & Corrêa, 2017). A healthy work environment potentially supports a positive work-life balance for employees. Supportive work environments increase morale, job satisfaction, job retention, productivity, as well as a fulfilling family life (Molla, 2015). Failure to assist employees with finding work-life balance risk the loss of a positive work environment for a company’s employees and the entire organization. Therefore, this human capital study seeks to build on the current research surrounding assisting organizations to find work-life balance for their …

Teacher Training, Beliefs, And Use Of A Constructivist Learning Environment Supported By Instructional Technology, Rachel Mercer

Dissertations

This study examined teacher training and beliefs in relation to the development of instructional technology-driven constructivist learning environments. The goal was to discover any existing gaps in theoretical beliefs and praxis, and develop recommendations that provide methods of merging theory into practice for both new and veteran teachers. Bruner’s Constructivist Learning Theory was the theoretical framework that was the basis for this study. Buttressing Bruner, Piaget, Vygotsky, and Montessori’s influences on the development of constructivism as a theoretical lens were also used. The target sample of the intended study was sixth through twelfth grade teachers, both new (0-4 years of …

Self-Regulated Learning Instruction’S Relationships With Teacher Subject Area, Teacher Beliefs, And Teacher Efficacy, Jeffrey Coggin

Dissertations

Self-regulated learning (SRL) instruction develops essential competencies required in the classroom and the workplace (Johnson, 2002; Yan, 2017). SRL instruction helps learners develop the proficiency required for successful self-directed, life-long learning. Furthermore, SRL instruction produces the skills needed to plan, monitor, and achieve learning goals. However, SRL instructional techniques are difficult to implement in the classroom or workplace because educators must transfer learning responsibilities and outcomes to the learner. This study examined the relationships of teacher subject area, teacher beliefs, and teacher efficacy on the use of SRL instruction. The participants included PK-12 teachers from a public-school district in Alabama. …

Foodism In Ireland 2019: Feeding Foodie Philosophy Or Showing A Shift In Contemporary Food Culture?, Sinéad Reil

Dissertations

“Everybody eats and drinks; yet only few appreciate the taste of food”

Confucius (551- 479BC).

This research study examines contemporary food culture in Ireland through the phenomenon of foodism and the habits and traits expressed through the subculture of foodies. Elements and actors of the Irish foodscape are also considered. Other topics it discusses are Irish food history, Ireland’s gastronomical global position and the modern Irish chef.

The thesis defined foodism as: “A keen or exaggerated interest in food, especially in the minute details of preparation, presentation, and consumption of food” (‘Foodism’, 2018a). In order to answer the five sub-research …

Understanding Learner-Centeredness And Student Engagement In Undergraduate Biology Education, Ashley Barbara Heim

Dissertations

The overarching goal of my dissertation research is to better understand how undergraduate students engage in biology. Considering the notable lack of interest in the sciences among undergraduates in recent years, actively engaging more students in biology throughout college could potentially increase their motivation to learn biology and retain more students in science fields. Using both quantitative and qualitative approaches, I sought to discover the dimensionality of learner-centeredness in the biology classroom using a variety of instruments. Outside of the classroom, I aimed to describe college-age adults’ learning experiences at informal learning settings such as zoos via development and administration …

Growth Mindset For Incoming College Students, Erin Michelle Datteri-Saboski

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine an educational psychology phenomenon called growth mindset and the influence it may have on first-generation college student transition as measured by first-semester GPA. I invited students attending the orientation first-generation workshop to participate in my study and had 308 participants. I systematically selected one-third of them to participate in a 35-minute intervention that taught them about growth mindset. Students in the control group participated in the session New Student Orientation had in place for years: a simple social-belonging intervention. My study found that students who participated in the control/social-belonging intervention had statistically …

Memories Of Emotions Of First Consensual Sexual Encounters, Mario Herrera

Dissertations

Are people’s memories of their most intimate moments prone to memory distortions? There is some limited research that has found that to be the case—memories of past consensual sexual encounters have been prone to memory biases. However, no past research has looked into whether memory of emotions toward a person’s first consensual sexual encounter are malleable. A combination of reconstructive memory and appraisal theories would predict that memory for emotions are prone to distortions based on the changes in current appraisals of the event and/or person. In the current experiment, we investigated the effects of current reappraisals of participants’ first …

Social And Individual-Level Identities And College Male Alcohol Use Behaviors: Examining The Utility Of Protective Behavioral Strategies, Robert Bearden Whitley

Dissertations

Recent literature has consistently identified conformity to traditional masculine norms as motivating hazardous drinking behaviors of college men. Given the high prevalence of hazardous drinking among college men and the particular negative consequences that emerge secondary to it, additional research is needed in this area to better identify possible intervention targets. The present study sought to better elucidate the proximity of male norm conformity to drinking behaviors through including a specific identity factor related to alcohol use: drinking identity. Secondary to this goal, this study also sought to examine how these factors of identity predicted the safe drinking behaviors of …

Adapting To Obstacles: Inhibition And Creative Potential In A Sample Of Successfully Aging Older Adults, Cassandra Dinius

Dissertations

Studying older adults who are aging ‘successfully’ (i.e., avoiding disease/disability; maintaining high cognitive and physical functioning; engaging in meaningful interpersonal/social engagement) may offer insight into variables that contribute to cognitive change throughout the lifespan. Successful aging is related to levels of engagement, which may be promoted by the problem solving and reevaluation encouraged by the creative process (Fisher & Specht, 1999). Creative thinking requires the consideration of diverse concepts and strategies (e.g., generating many solutions), as well as the regulated filtering of these possibilities (e.g., neither too permissive nor too narrow when eliminating ideas; Baas, De Dreu, & Nijstad, 2011). …

Design, Development And, Psychometric Assessment Of An Inventory On Concepts Pertinent To Developing Proficiency In Organic Reaction Mechanisms, Sachin Nedungadi

Dissertations

This three-phase study was conducted to design, develop, and psychometrically analyze the Reaction Mechanisms Concept Proficiency Inventory (RMCPI). In the first phase, open-ended interviews were conducted with organic chemistry instructors (N=11) to obtain their opinion on concepts pertinent to developing proficiency in organic reaction mechanisms. The results yielded 11 pertinent concepts. Additionally, participants believed that organic reaction mechanisms are essential for mastering organic chemistry and students have difficulty with understanding the meaning and utility of the curved-arrows. The difficulties that students have with reaction mechanisms could be due to a lack of understanding of fundamental general chemistry and organic chemistry …

Flow State Experiences In Second Semester General Chemistry, Kyle Glen Kemats

Dissertations

“Flow” is a mental state in which a person experiences an optimal performance of an activity, when they are completely immersed in it. The flow state is characterized by a feeling of confidence, and the activity seems to be effortless. A person enters a state of flow when their skills performing a task (activity) matches its level of difficulty. They perceive that the task is neither too easy nor too difficult. Flow state experiences have been connected to increased levels of performance in domains such as athletics and music, as well as in academic domains such as learning foreign language. …

Nursing Student Experience And Safety Awareness Using 360-Degree Immersive Video Simulation, John Arthur Nation

Dissertations

As the use of simulation in pre-licensure nursing education increases, it is important to evaluate new approaches to clinical simulation. A new technology called 360-degree immersive video has the potential to be used in nursing education but its use in nursing education has not been studied extensively. This study evaluated nursing student satisfaction and identification of risks to patient safety with 360-degree immersive video simulation when compared to conventional video simulation. In this quasi-experimental quantitative study, 91 final semester nursing students viewed either a 360-degree immersive video simulation depicting multiple risks to patient safety or a conventional video of the …

The Effects Of Disability Labeling On Teachers’ Referrals Of Twice-Exceptional Children To Gifted Programs In Saudi Arabia, Amra Abdulrahman Mohammad

Dissertations

The issue of biases associated with labeling students as gifted or as having a disability presents a significant challenge to educational professionals with regard to identification and the provision of services. In the presence of labels indicating giftedness, disability, and twice exceptionality, research consistently demonstrated biases on the part of parents, teachers, and even other students. These biases could prevent students from receiving the services they need to achieve their fullest potential (Bianco & Leech, 2010). The current study systematically replicated a study by Bianco and Leech (2010) and examined the influence of disability labels on teachers’ decisions to refer …

Implementing Digital Media As A Pedagogical Tool In University Physical Activity Courses, Dannon G. Cox

Dissertations

Technological advancements have influenced the way we teach, learn, and communicate in education. Higher educational institutions must continually adapt to emerging technologies by implementing a variety of technologies such as photographs, audio, video, and an endless array of online platforms. Specifically, university physical activity programs, which have existed in higher educational institutions for over a century, are encouraged to incorporate digital media as a means to effectively and efficiently communicate a variety of content areas (Cardinal, 2017; Casey, Goodyear, & Armour, 2017; Tiernan, 2015). The purpose of this case study was to explore the implementation of digital media as a …

The Effects Of Fidgets On Attention And Learning Of College Students, Stephanie Leandra Kriescher

Dissertations

Fidget “tools”, or objects to facilitate fidgeting, are gaining in popularity and controversy within the educational setting. Advertisers market fidget objects as evidence-based methods to improve attention, alleviate anxiety, and otherwise improve academic performance for their users. Thus, many individuals are investing in these objects to aid them in their academic studies, jobs, and other attention/focus orientated pursuits. These claims of evidence basis are made in the absence of sufficient scientific research and with conflicting theoretical basis regarding their mechanism of effect. The present study looked at the effect of facilitated fidgeting through different devices (stress ball and fidget spinner) …