Digital Commons Network^™

The Effectiveness Of A Promotora-Led Intervention For Mexican Americans With Type 2 Diabetes, Josefina Lujan

Dissertations

The purpose of this randomized control repeated measures trial was to determine the effectiveness of a self-management intervention led by community lay workers called promotoras on the health outcomes of Mexican Americans with type 2 diabetes living in a major city on the Texas - Mexico border. The specific aims of this study, in relation to the intervention group participants, were to: (1) decrease the glycosylated hemoglobin (A1c) blood levels at the six-month assessment, (2) increase diabetes knowledge at the three and six-month assessments, and (3) strengthen the participants' beliefs in their ability to manage diabetes at the three and …

Perceptions Of Future And Advance Care Planning For Japanese Women With Early Stage Gynecological And Breast Cancer, Yuki Asakura

Dissertations

Advance care planning (ACP) is the process that allows individuals to choose a path of care in the event that they are unable to make a decision for themselves. The concept of advance care planning is much broader than merely putting wishes in writing; however, misconceptions exist. The purpose of this study was to gain understanding of perceptions of Japanese women with early stage cancer about ACP. A theoretical model for ACP was developed from review of current knowledge. This study was significant to developing culturally sensitive intervention in supporting ACP in this Asian population. This study utilized ethnography guided …

Construct Local Quasi-Interpolation Operators Using Linear B-Splines, Abeer Alzahrani

Dissertations

The data interpolating problem is a fundamental problem in data analysis, and B-splines are frequently used as the basis functions for data interpolation. In the real-world applications, the real-time processing is very important. To achieve that, we cannot use any matrix inversion for large amount of data, and we also need to avoid using any global operator. To solve this problem, we develop a new method based on a local quasi-interpolation operator. To construct the local quasi-interpolation operator, we need to factorize the Shoenberg-Whitney matri- ces for the given data samples. Furthermore, our local quasi-interpolation operator should correspond to a …

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.

Impulsivity As A Trait Predictor In Baccalaureate Nursing Students, Jennifer Bertucci

Dissertations

Impulsive personality traits have been linked to pathological decision making in individuals who possess the trait. Impulsive pathological decision making may include acts of aggression, divergence, risky behavior, lack of self-care, etc. The purpose of this study was to examine impulsive personality traits among nursing students. Traditional students are defined by the following characteristics: earns a high school diploma, enrolls full time immediately after finishing high school, are financially dependent on parents, and either do not work during the school year or works part-time (the exception to the rule) (Choy, 2002). A non-traditional nursing student is defined as students who …

Framing Death And Suffering: An Examination Of Photographs Of Dead And Dying During The U. S. Civil War, World War Ii, And The Vietnam War, Richard Anthony Lewis

Dissertations

The dissertation analyzes photographic images of dead bodies that appeared in news settings related to warfare in the United States in three distinct eras – the 1860s, the 1940s, and the 1960s. The primary subject of the analysis are photographs of corpses created in the context of the American Civil War (1861-1865), World War II including the immediate aftermath of the Holocaust (1939-1946), and conflict and war in Vietnam (1950-1975). While the sample represents a partial catalogue of images of the dead in the context of warfare since photography emerged in the 1840s as a medium for disseminating news, the …

A Survey Of Modern Companion Pieces Outlining Specific Compositional Similarities Between Ralph Vaughan Williams' Dona Nobis Pacem And Mack Wilberg's Requiem Aeternam And Let Peace Then Still The Strife, Joel Dunlap

Dissertations

Companion compositions can best be described as musical works composed to specifically coordinate in conjunction with a preexisting musical work. For the sole purpose and intention of complementing or coalescing with another work, the two companion compositions could share similar subject matter, choral/vocal or orchestral themes, and motifs, length, text treatment, context. Evidence in this survey will expound upon various examples of companion compositions from prominent modern-day composers.

The primary objective of this research is to study specific compositional characteristics, correlations, and relationships between Mack Wilberg’s two original compositions – Requiem aeternam and Let peace then still the strife with …

Nadia Boulanger’S Fantaisie Variée Pour Piano Et Orchestre A Study Of A Significant Unpublished Piece, Sarah Elias

Dissertations

The research consists of a brief historical and biographical overview of Nadia Boulanger (1887-1979), a main focus of a thematic and motivic analysis of her work Fantaisie variée pour piano et orchestre, along with touching upon the influences of Fauré, Debussy, Widor, Reger, and Franck on its composition, and a mention of the process of obtaining the Fantaisie from the Centre international Nadia et Lili Boulanger. Boulanger produced works in a variety of genres, including: a fugue; more than thirty songs for voice and piano; two completed works for solo piano; three works for organ; several chamber works; three works …

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 …

Experiences Of Implementing Developmental Education Redesign In Mississippi Community Colleges: An Administrators’ And Faculty’S Perspective, James Rush

Dissertations

Each year, after graduating from high school or after a number of years in the workforce, millions of students in America make the choice to further their education. Students who enter higher education are faced with the decision of choosing from a diverse pool of institutions that provide an array of services to meet the needs of a changing society. Many students entering institutions of higher learning are in need of some developmental instruction or course in order to complete their degree and/or training. Because of the integral part that developmental education plays in higher education, the cost versus effectiveness …

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 …

The Roles Of Educational Leaders And Other Factors That Contribute To Successful Programs For English Learners, Abdulmohsen Ibrahim Alsliman

Dissertations

Public schools in the United States have experienced a rise in the number of English language learners (ELLs). (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2018). The ELLs across different states including Colorado schools underperform academically when compared to their peers (NCES, 2018). To close the achievement gap, it is important to understand how to create and sustain successful ELL programs at the elementary level. Therefore, the purpose of this non-experimental survey research was to identify the possible factors contributing to the success of ELL programs in elementary schools in the same school district and to explore the role administrators and …

Perceptions Regarding The Effectiveness Of Co-Teaching Practices To Support Students With Learning Disabilities In Secondary Inclusive Classrooms: Case Study, Aeshah Abdullah Alsarawi

Dissertations

Despite the prevalence of students with specific learning disabilities (SLDs) and using co-teaching in inclusive classrooms, there is a lack of empirical evidence regarding the effectiveness of co-teaching for these students in the secondary level. Therefore, the purpose of this case study was to expand the research on supporting secondary students with SLDs in co-taught inclusive settings. More specifically, the researcher examined the perceptions of students and co-teachers regarding the co-teaching practices to support students with SLDs after conducting classroom observations. The study took place in a high school located in Colorado. The participants included seven co-teachers, four students with …

Exploring The Prevalence Of Suboptimal Effort Among Children And Adolescents On Psychoeducational Evaluations, Kayla Jo Singleton

Dissertations

This study represents one of the first known studies to explore suboptimal effort in children and adolescents as part of psychoeducational evaluations conducted within a school setting. Only recently has attention been given to pediatric performance validity testing. With the assistance of five credentialed school psychologists across two midwestern states, 52 students were administered the Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM) as part of their psychoeducational evaluation. The findings of the current study suggested that 19.2% of these students failed Trial 2 on the TOMM, a suggested indicator of suboptimal performance. Furthermore, school psychologists’ ratings of observed effort did not correlate …

Health Care Access And Utilization By U.S. Farmworkers, Genesis Bojorquez

Dissertations

Background: Agriculture industry has the highest fatality rate among all United States industries. Farmworkers experience high rates of occupational injury, illness, and mortality, yet have limited access to health care. Implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010 increased health care accessibility and broadened farmworker eligibility for health insurance, yet no study has measured the impact of the ACA upon U.S. farmworkers.

Purpose: The purpose of this research was to examine health care access and health care services utilization among U.S. farmworkers following the implementation of the ACA in 2010.

Specific Aims:

1. Apply the …

Shifting Sands: The Art Of Ecological Place-Based Education, Emily Christine Bretl

Dissertations

Ecological place-based education is defined by the inextricable overlap of the places where society, politics, culture, and the environment meet in intricate and interdependent ways. It encompasses the development of the skills, knowledge, understanding, and characteristics that we need to live well on this earth and with one another. This research observed and evaluated the experiences, expectations, and practices of three traditionally minded teachers and the participant-researcher as they encountered and implemented ecological place-based education for the first time, in a new school. I used the methodology of educational criticism and connoisseurship, and I applied an ecological aesthetic framework to …

The Connection Between Professional Development And Teacher Growth, Melody J. Person

Dissertations

Teachers spend hours each year attending professional development designed to further their professional growth and ultimately provide richer learning opportunities for their students. But how effective is that professional development? This dissertation explored teachers’ motivation for continuing their professional growth while determining what type of professional development teachers found inspiring. It also probed how often professional development learning was carried over into the classroom. The research was completed at a small high school in northern Colorado. Of the 53 non-probationary teachers surveyed to begin the research, three teachers were chosen for interviews. Two focus groups were conducted that consisted of …

The Impact Of Teacher Beliefs On Relationship-Building In A High School Advisory Program, Insoon H. Olson

Dissertations

This was a descriptive case study at a high-needs, comprehensive public high school in Northern Colorado, focused on teachers’ beliefs regarding building relationships with students in the context of a structured high school advisory. Participants were members of the ninth-grade advisory team, including the Coordinator, counselor, Zero Drop-out Student Interventionist, and fourteen content teachers. Each teacher had approximately twenty freshmen students, some of whom were also in their ninth-grade content courses. The author created and anonymously distributed an open-ended pre-questionnaire to the participants, whose responses were blind copied to an anonymous Google survey, collecting all responses within a Google spreadsheet …

Exploring Self-Determination Scores In Youth And Young Adults Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing, Kaitlyn Marie Millen

Dissertations

Self-determination is a potential predictor of in-school and post-school success, yet it has not previously been examined in youth and young adults who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH). The purpose of this study utilizing a cross-sectional survey design was to (a) determine if the scores produced by the American Sign Language (ASL) version of the Self-Determination Inventory (ASL SDI:SR) are valid and reliable and (b) examine self-determination scores in youth and young adults who are DHH to determine typical areas of strength and need within the population and if scores vary by disability, communication mode, or educational setting. …

An Examination Of Current Leadership Practices In Earlychildhood And Early Childhood Special Education: A Mixed Methods Study, Sara Movahedazarhouligh

Dissertations

Leadership is a vital component of any thriving system. Effective leadership is widely regarded as pivotal to the vitality of organizations. In early childhood (EC) and early childhood special education (ECSE) programs, strong leadership is particularly critical because directors and service providers are the gatekeepers of quality. Developing leadership among EC and ECSE professionals has become increasingly important as investing in EC education has been regarded as a public and private, national and international priority. However, the fields of EC and ECSE continue to struggle with the challenges of being overlooked when it comes to the leadership potentials, qualities, and …

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 Resilience On Student Academic Success In Baccalaureate Nursing, Cassandra Frost

Dissertations

The current rise in nursing student attrition has impeded the future supply of registered nurses. With the shortages projected to continue, this growing problem needs to be addressed. Factors influencing nursing student success are diverse and multidimensional. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between resilience and student academic success. A descriptive, correlational design was utilized. The study was conducted in a private nursing college with 300 baccalaureate level nursing students. Based on correlational analysis, a weak positive relationship was found between academic success and resilience. Academic success also demonstrated relationships with cumulative grade point average, …

Implicit And Explicit Sexual Attitude Among United States Baccalaureate Nursing Students, Michael G. Murphy

Dissertations

Recognizing sexual minorities continue to experience discrimination and social, institutional, and health disparities, this study explored implicit and explicit sexual attitude among nursing students. Knowledge of these attitudes is an important step to improve the care provided to this vulnerable population. Yet, there remains little research of implicit sexual attitude among nurses and no research among nursing students. This study addressed this gap in the current literature by comparing measurements of implicit and explicit attitude and identifying demographic attributes that predict these attitudes. Critical cosmopolitan theory (Delanty, 2006), informed this non-experimental, descriptive, correlational study. Implicit attitude wasmeasured using the sexuality …

If You Build It, Will They Come? An Autoethnographic Account Of Starting A School And Year One, Courtney Rae Luce

Dissertations

This autoethnographic research was a qualitative analysis of the process of starting a school and running it in the first year. While this research explained some of the process, it is not a guidebook for starting schools. Instead, this narrative was meant to tell about the experience in order to inspire others in education to try something new or different. The significance of the research came from the need for a change in education and the power of narrative to inspire change. Using autoethnography as my methodology and reflection and layered accounts to tell the narrative, I explored the following …

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 …

Nonparametric Approach To Multivariate Analysis Of Variance (Manova) Using Density-Based Kernel Methods, Hend Aljobaily

Dissertations

Density estimation and nonparametric methods have become increasingly important over the last three decades. These methods are useful in analyzing modern data which includes many variables with numerous observations. It is common to see datasets with hundreds of variables and millions of observations. Examples proliferate in fields such as geological exploration, speech recognition, and biological and medical research. Therefore, there is an increasing demand for tools that can detect and summarize the multivariate structure in complex data. Only nonparametric methods are able to do so when little is known about the data generating process. The term nonparametric does not necessarily …

Preparation Of Clinical Nurse Educators Using Simulation: Developing Competencies In Providing Feedback, Julie Susanne Fitzwater

Dissertations

Nursing students require a competent nurse educator to support and evaluate their performance in order to learn and grow. Frequently, nurses who enter into educator roles are not prepared to support and evaluate nursing students. An important competency for nurse educators is the ability to give effective formative feedback in a supportive learning environment. Nurse educators who are not prepared for the teaching role might negatively impact the educational experience and preparation of nursing students. Simulation could be an effective method for developing evidence-based teaching competencies in nurse educators but there is limited evidence about this topic in the literature. …

Caring About More Than Grades And Test Scores: The Work Of Reputationally Caring Teachers, Gregory Max Chalfin

Dissertations

Using Nel Noddings’ definition of care as a theoretical framework (2005) alongside Elliot Eisner’s ecology of schooling (1988), this study examined how “reputationally caring” teachers approached assessment in their classrooms and their reasons for doing so. These topics were explored through interviewing and observing participants, in addition to analyzing documents related to their methods of assessment, utilizing the research methodology of educational criticism and connoisseurship. This qualitative study include four “reputationally caring” teachers. The term “reputational care” is of the author’s creation and refers to those teachers who are known by various school constituents: parents, students, colleagues, and administrators as …