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An Evaluation Of A Title One Elementary School's English For Speakers Of Other Languages Program, Kim L.P. Rigby

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Enrolled at many public schools in the United States are students who primarily speak languages other than English and lack proficiency in the English language. These students are required to show language proficiency on end-of-year English-only state assessments. One public elementary school utilizes a support program to assist second language learners in acquiring a level of language skills necessary for proficiency on state assessments. My evaluation of this school’s program utilized mixed methods to determine the viability of support services provided to second language learners. The findings of my evaluation revealed some weaknesses within the provided services and indicated …

Redefining Burnout: Exploring Common Conceptualizations And The Neurophysiology Of Chronic Stress To Establish An Integrated Allostatic Model, Danny A. Guzzi

Dissertations

Burnout is a widely researched stress-related phenomenon associated with numerous adverse outcomes for employees and organizations. Unfortunately, burnout is not well understood and research to this point has been flawed due to a lack of consensus on the definition, dimensionality, and context of the construct. Prevalent conceptualizations of burnout have been criticized for being arbitrarily developed without solid theoretical foundation and for failing to clearly distinguish burnout from depression or other work-related conditions such as compassion fatigue, secondary traumatization, and vicarious traumatization. The current project first examines relevant literature to identify commonalities among prevalent burnout conceptualizations. Then relevant stress research …

Effect Of Attentional Focus On Learning And Performance In Youth Sports, Justin Wright

Dissertations

Youth athletes are different from adult and elite athletes in several domains that include cognitive resources, working memory, automaticity of motor movements, conscious control for propensity, attentional focus, and acquisition of motor-skills. Due to significant differences between athletes, not all instructions and feedback provided by coaches are best suited for every player. Instructions and feedback may direct an athlete’s attentional focus and cognitive resources incorrectly leading to poor acquisition and performance of motor-skills. Clinical psychologists with knowledge of motor-skill acquisition, cognitive resources, learning theory, conscious control propensity, automaticity of motor movements, constrained action hypothesis, and attentional focus can follow the …

The Impact Of Male Gender Dissonance On Women’S Potential Eligibility For Advancement To K-12 Public School Superintendent, Mona Lee Montgomery

Dissertations

Purpose:The purpose of this phenomenological replication study was to discover what behaviors female administrators exhibit that may prompt male administrators with whom they work with in California public educationto demonstrate behaviors associated with gender dissonanceand to discover any impact these dissonant behaviors may have on women’s potential eligibility for advancement to the position of K-12 school superintendent.

Methodology:This qualitative phenomenological replication study explored the experiences of seven female and seven male K-12 public school superintendents in Orange, San Diego, and Riverside Counties in California. Respondents were selected based on delimiting criteria and a purposive criterion sampling method. …

Retrospective Analysis Of A Breast Health Program On Routine Annual Mammography In Low-Income, Uninsured Women, Theresa L. Morrison

Dissertations

A retrospective subject-controlled study of an ongoing Breast Health Program, at a not-for-profit, non-government assisted, volunteer clinic, was undertaken to examine mammography usage and discovery variables.

Outcomes Of Minnesota Nursing Home Residents And Their Relationship To Facility Structural And Process-Related Attributes, Mary Bliesmer

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to observe outcomes of Minnesota nursing home residents admitted from 1988 through 1990 and identify the relationship these outcomes had to selected facility structural and process-related attributes of care.

An Exploration Of Nurses' Knowledge Of Right Hemisphere Stroke Associated Communication Impairments, Susan K. Brooks

Dissertations

In the U. S. approximately 795,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke yearly. Stroke survival has increased with advances in medical technology. The impact of stroke on a patient's neurological status poses critical challenges for nurses. Communication is one area impacted by stroke. Strokes affecting the brain's right hemisphere (RHS) have been described in the literature as negatively impacting communication behaviors of patients, often in a subtle manner. The purpose of this exploratory descriptive study was to examine the knowledge that RNs in North Carolina possess about communication impairments associated with RHS and how these nurses anticipate using knowledge …

The Unborn One: The Human Experience Of Miscarriage, Kristen M. Swanson

Dissertations

This dissertation's purpose was to describe the human experience of miscarriage and the caring needs of the women who miscarried. Using a qualitative (modified grounded theory) research design, a convenience sample of 20 women who had miscarried within 15 weeks prior to study entry were interviewed twice about their experience with early pregnancy loss and the associated caring needs.

Issues Influencing Medication Adherence In Black Women With Hypertension, Willie M. Abel

Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to: (a) describe the differences in adherent and nonadherent Black women who have hypertension (HTN), (b) examine issues that influence medication adherence, and (c) explore the relationship of reactant behaviors and medication adherence.

From Midterms To Naptime: An Autoethnography Of The Affects Of Intersectionality Of An African American Single Parent College Student, Jovon Willis

Dissertations

Abstract

According to United States Census (2016), Women in female-headed households with no spouse experienced higher rates of poverty (35.6 percent) than women in married-couple families (6.6 percent) and men in male-headed households. Having an education would significantly increase their chances of obtaining suitable employment which would also grant them income and benefits that could improve the overall quality of life for their families.

Today women are the majority on college campuses. According to The United States Census Bureau (2011), women make up 56% of college enrollment. Though the percentage of women attending college is increasing, the challenges that they …

Strengthening Teacher-Student Relationships: Identifying Strategies From Capturing Kids’ Hearts National Showcase Schools, Allison Cano

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore and describe the strategies that elementary teachers use to establish, maintain, and restore positive relationships with students in Capturing Kids’ Hearts National Showcase Schools.

Methodology: This study included 12 teachers from 2 elementary schools in California who received the National Showcase Award for their implementation of the Capturing Kids’ Hearts program. The principals of the 2 schools were asked to each recommend 6 teachers from their site, based on criteria provided by the researcher. Data was collected through the use of classroom observations, interviews, and artifact analysis.

Findings: In order …

The Incidence Of Stoma And Peristomal Complications During The First Three Months After Stoma Creation, Ginger Dawn Salvadalena

Dissertations

Stoma and peristomal complications comprise a variety of conditions that vary in frequency, severity, and importance to individuals who have colostomies, ileostomies, or urinary stomas. Differences in study methodology and samples, plus the lack of precise measurement of complications, have all contributed to wide variability in reported prevalence and incidence rates.

This longitudinal, descriptive, repeated measure study was used to describe the incidence of physiologic and anatomic problems of the stoma and peristomal skin, and to examine factors that may be related to these complications. Forty-three adults with stomas from two university teaching hospitals in a major Midwestern city participated. …

The Spiritual Health Of Oncology Patients: A Comparison Of Nurse And Patient Perceptions, Martha E. Highfield

Dissertations

Nurses who are committed to care of the whole person must be knowledgeable about patients' spiritual needs. This descriptive, cross-sectional survey was designed to investigate the spiritual health of oncology patients. Parallel nurse (r =.89) and patient (r =.77) Spiritual Health Inventories (SHI) and demographic sheets were distributed to a convenience sample of 40 nurse-inpatient pairs from two hospitals. Respondents included 23 patients with primary lung cancer and 27 Registered Nurses. Patients reported a normatively high level of spiritual health, positively related both to age (p < .02) and physical well-being (p < .014). Analysis of 21 matched nurse-patient SHI scores indicated that nurse respondents inaccurately assessed their patients' spiritual health. Patients and nurses ranked family members or friends and clergypersons as priority choices of spiritual caregivers. Although not generalizable, findings should assist in future studies.

Lifting Behavior, Back Pain, And Back Injury Among Registered Nurses In The Hospital Setting, Joy E. Wachs

Dissertations

Back injury among nursing personnel engaged in direct patient care in the hospital setting has been shown to be a primary occupational health concern. The primary agent of back injuries among nurses has been reported to be the moving of patients. This descriptive, cross sectional survey examined the prevalence of prescribed lifting behavior among registered nurses and the relationship between the behavior and nurse's self report of back injury and back pain. Further, using Suchman's epidemiologic framework, characteristics of the nurse, the patient, and the immediate environment were also ascertained to identify possible antecedents to the behavior.

The Lived Experience Of Nursing Students In Caring For Suffering Individuals: A Phenomenological Analysis, Susan Sweat Gunby

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to illuminate the lived experience of nursing students in caring for individuals who were suffering. A phenomenological approach was utilized consisting of four iterative steps: purposive sampling, intensive interviewing, inductive data analysis using Giorgi's (1985) method, and uncovering the essential structure of the phenomenon. Using purposive sampling, 12 generic undergraduate nursing students were recruited from a large university located in the southeastern United States. Participants were interviewed and asked to describe their experiences related to caring for a suffering individual. Interviews were audiotaped and then transcribed. The transcriptions of the interviews constituted the data …

Development Of An Instrument To Measure Hope, Judith Fitzgerald Miller

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop an instrument to measure hope in adults and to evaluate its psychometric properties. A forty item Miller Hope Scale was developed based on the critical elements of hope gleaned from a comprehensive review of literature, including the etymology of hope; as well as from an exploratory study of hope in persons who survived a critical illness. The instrument was critiqued by psychometric and content experts, content validity established and was pretested on 75 subjects. Psychometric properties of the refined instrument were determined by studying 522 healthy adults.

Factors Associated With Degree Of Adoption By Hospitals In The Central States Of The Agency For Health Care Policy And Research Clinical Practice Guideline For Management Of Cancer Pain, Martha A. Spies

Dissertations

Using contingency theory (Damanpour, 1991) and Rogers' (1995) diffusion of innovations theory, this study: (1) determined the degree of adoption of AHCPR management of cancer pain clinical practice guideline (CPG) by hospitals; and (2) examined organizational-level and individual-level factors associated with adoption of the CPG. Organizational-level (macro) factors included: (1) structural variables—functional differentiation, vertical differentiation, centralization, external/cosmopolitan communication in a social system, and internal/local communication in a social system; (2) contextual variables—competition, size, age. Individual-level (micro) factors included moderator variables—type/characteristics of the innovation (radical/incremental, relative advantage, complexity, compatibility, trialability, observability) and time/stage of adoption.

Exploring Workplace Spirituality And The Benefit It Has On Teams, Tracey Kimberly Johnson

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore and understand the perception of nonprofit leaders on how spirituality in the workplace fosters a positive workplace culture.

Methodology: In this phenomenological qualitative study, data were collected using interviews of 12 nonprofit leaders. The essential data collection method for this study was in-depth, semi-structured, open-ended interview questions, key informant interviews, and pilot study data interviews. After the data were collected and transcribed, the coding process began, and themes were identified.

Findings: The research on spirituality in the workplace and spiritual intelligence of nonprofit leaders has been completed. There is still …

The Influence Of Stressful Life Events On The Development Of Type 2 Diabetes, Joshua Minks

Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between distress and the development of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the presence of established risk factors. Distress secondary to mental health disparities, stressful life events, and work conditions has been shown to promote insulin resistance and the development of T2DM.

Subjects (N=79) diagnosed with T2DM within the previous six months were recruited from SSM Health Centers and VA Medical Centers in the greater St. Louis area. They completed the Recent Life Changes Questionnaire, ENRICHD Social Support Instrument, and a demographic survey and analyses were conducted to determine differences between the veteran …

Crisis Leadership And Management Of Superintendents During The 2017-18 California Wildfires, Dianna Kitamura

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this mixed methods heuristic research study was to discover how school superintendents described their crisis leadership and management experiences during the 2017-2018 wildfires in California through the lens of the Five Critical Tasks of Strategic Crisis Leadership framework of sense making, meaning making, decision-making and coordination, learning, accounting (Boin, 't Hart, Stern, & Sundelius, 2017). Additionally, this study determined the extent to which school superintendents identify their use of the Five Critical Tasks of Strateby Dianna W. Kitamuragic Crisis Leadership framework.

Methodology: This explanatory, sequential mixed methods heuristic research study investigated a quantitative survey and qualitative …

Building A Social Identity: Peer-To-Peer Sexual Harassment In Adolescents, Denise Giannascoli Link

Dissertations

Peer-to-peer sexual harassment is pervasive in secondary schools and is responsible for a number of health effects such as sleeplessness, loss of self-esteem and depression, as well as other negative educational and social effects (AAUW, 1993; Morrisey, 1995; PCSW, 1995; vanRoosmalen & McDaniel, 1998). As a behavior that is learned, the incidence of peer-to-peer sexual harassment may be reduced through interventions aimed at changing inappropriate and harmful behavior. The purpose of this study was to describe and explain the basic social psychological process that induces and perpetuates peer-to-peer sexual harassment in adolescents. In order to achieve this goal, it was …

A Psychometric Analysis Of The Self-Report Of Labor Pain, Nancy K. Lowe

Dissertations

This non-experimental, field study investigated the reliability and validity of the postpartum recall of labor pain, and the relationships between pain and a number of selected antecedent, intervening, and labor related phenomena.

A Comparison Of The Effects Of Cutaneous Stimulation And Distraction On Children's Perceptions Of Injection Pain, Laurie G. Sparks

Dissertations

Research has shown that children fear injections and perceive them as painful. Virtually all children experience injections through immunizations, and, therefore, methods to decrease injection pain could have widespread results. This study examined the effects of two nursing interventions on injection pain in preschool children: distraction and cutaneous stimulation. A quasi-experimental design was employed to test the interventions. The study was guided by Roy's adaptation theory of nursing and the gate-control theory of pain.

College Student Risk Behavior: The Implications Of Religiosity And Impulsivity, Mary A. Cazzell

Dissertations

College student risk-taking among 18 to 21 years olds includes smoking cigarettes, binge drinking, casual sex with multiple partners, automobile accidents due to risky driving or driving under the influence, and substance use. Among 10 to 24 year olds, 72% of all fatalities result from automobile accidents, unintended injuries, homicide, and suicide. Since not all college students participate in risk behaviors, protective factors such as religiosity may be a protective social or psychological buffer that supports positive relationships and moral order. Impulsivity, an inability to squelch inappropriate thoughts or actions, is associated with the later development (in the mid-twenties) of …

Factors Influencing Prefatory Maternal Response In The Primigravida, Leslie H. Nicoll

Dissertations

A prospective survey with two data collection periods was conducted to test a theoretical model deductively derived from a conceptual system suggested by Rubin (1967a, 1967b, 1984). A sample of 123 primigravid women were recruited from 5 sites in the greater Portland, Maine area. Study subjects completed six questionnaires: (a) the Self-Coherence Survey; (b) the Hassles Scale; (c) the Uplifts Scale; (d) the Health Responses Scale; (e) the Support Behaviors Inventory; and (f) the Psychosocial Health Reproductive Tool. Data were analyzed by path analysis and correlated t-tests.

Exploring The Perceptions Of Parents On Parent Involvement In County Community School Students’ Academic Achievement, Maria Haro

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to understand and explain how parents perceive parent engagement affects high school academic achievement within county operated community schools in Riverside County California. An additional purpose of the study was to understand and explain actions parents believe are necessary to increase parent engagement within county community schools in Riverside County.

Methodology: This qualitative phenomenological study explored the perspectives of 16 parents who had students attending County Community Schools in California. The research focused on parent engagement and the actions necessary to involve parents in their children’s education. The researcher in conjunction …

Exploring The Perceptions Of Teachers And Principals On Parent Involvement In County Community School Students’ Academic Achievement, Sandra Luz Hernandez-Monreal

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to understand and explain how teachers and principals perceive how parent engagement affects high school academic achievement within county operated community schools in Riverside County California. An additional purpose of the study was to understand and explain actions that teachers and principals believe are necessary to increase parent engagement within county operated community schools in Riverside County.

Methodology: This qualitative phenomenological study explored the perspectives of 13 teachers and seven principals in county community schools on parent engagement and the actions necessary to involve parents in their children’s education. The researcher …

A Dynamic Approach To Understanding Immigration, Ethnicity And Violent Crime In Chicago Communities, Saundra Trujillo

Dissertations

Once again, politically-driven events in the United States have brought the relationship between immigration and crime to the forefront in public, political, and academic discourses. Yet, despite proclamations made by a key U.S. political figure claiming that immigrants, specifically Mexican immigrants, are “bringing drugs...[and] bringing crime” (Trump, 2015) to U.S. communities, criminological research consistently finds that there is either an inverse relationship between immigration and crime- or no relationship at all (see Ousey and Kubrin, 2017 and National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, 2015 for review). Moreover, with decades of research on the relationship between immigration and crime, this …

Human Trafficking Identification Among Nurse Practitioner Students During Objective Structured Clinical Examinations, Zoe Onyun

Dissertations

Problem: Human trafficking (HT) is a significant worldwide and domestic issue affecting all ages, races, and genders resulting in over 40 million victims globally. Nurse practitioners (NP) often unknowingly come into contact with victims of HT, however, few NP’s have had formal education on the topic and may fail to recognize signs and risk factors. The purpose of this study was to initiate HT training for NP students.

Methods: A quality improvement (QI) initiative for a university college of nursing (CON) utilizing a prospective, observational, descriptive, cohort design. A plan-do-study-act (PDSA) methodology was implemented. A written case study given …

Public Policy Regarding Infant Mortality: Rhetorical Criticism Of The Mass Media, Joanne Rains Warner

Dissertations

Nurses interested in impacting the formation of policy must understand the multiple factors which influence the process. Mass communication is one important factor because it influences the creation and transmission of political realities. Rhetorical criticism was the methodology used to analyze the persuasive powers of the mass communication, and thereby provide insights into the policy formation process. The purpose of this investigation was to explore the rhetorical strategies of mass communication regarding the issue of infant mortality. The strategies were illuminated within the political context of Indiana's 1988 and 1989 legislative years, and related to legislative activities surrounding legislation which …