Digital Commons Network^™

Implementing Social And Emotional Learning In Rural Colorado Schools: A Quantitative Study Of The Impact Of Impetuses And Challenges, Jimmie Robert Charles Phillips

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify the circumstances of rural Colorado schools that impact SEL implementation. The research also sought to determine the relationship between impetus for implementation and levels of achieved implementation as well as the relationship between implementation challenges and achieved levels of implementation. A survey of 113 school leaders provided data about these relationships. The findings supported current literature about the difficulties of implementing SEL and about rural school challenges in general. The results indicate that leaders who observed best practices in SEL at the building-wide and classroom level also rated themselves as having higher …

Socio-Emotional And Socio-Cultural Perceptions Of Young Women And Their Interests In Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics, Danielle Ann Riney

Dissertations

School districts across the United States have begun to focus on the holistic learning of their students. At the top of that focus is student learning in socio-emotional and socio-cultural areas, in addition to content areas. This dissertation utilized an explanatory sequential design mixed methodology to explore the socio-emotional competence and socio-cultural perspectives of middles school students in STEM. Through a Likert scale survey and open-ended question, responses of 137 students were gathered to complete factor analysis, compute descriptive analysis, and calculate statistical differences found between genders through the use of t-tests to quantitatively answer research questions one and two. …

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 …

Coaching College Students To Thrive: Exploring Coaching Practices In Higher Education, Alicia Sepulveda

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore how trained, four-year success coaches perceive their coaching practice with students in higher education, particularly in the context of their meetings. While coaching programs have proliferated, little is known about coaching as a practice in higher education and it is difficult to generalize findings because professionals are ‘coaching’ in different ways. Some academic coaches in the field have stated they were given a title, but they are not ‘coaching’ (Sepulveda, 2017). Little is known about coaching as a practice, and this study will help to fill this gap. Taking a narrative approach, …

The Influence Of Care: An Exploration Of Student And Teacher Experiences, Allison Marie Schnell

Dissertations

An exploration of caring relationships among students and teachers, what the relationships look like, and how the relationships impact teachers, students, and classroom culture is the focus of this portrayed case study. A constructivist epistemology and an interpretivist paradigm form the conceptual framework, both of which align with the theoretical frameworks of Attachment Theory, Care Theory, and Self-Determination Theory. The research questions focus on how care is enacted within the classroom setting, with a focus on one teacher and seven students within an alternative high school setting. Research questions guiding this research are: (a) What is the nature of caring …

Collective Protesting As Existential Communication: A Phenomenology Of Risk, Responsibility, And Ethical Attendance, L. Shelley Rawlins

Dissertations

This dissertation explores the experience of participating in collective protest. I performed an existential-phenomenological analysis of five participants’ in-depth accounts of their involvements participating in collective protest. I considered my interviewees’ discourse to be reflective of their lived, embodied experiences of being in protest with others. Participants each described distinct protesting experiences. I explored their accounts in relation to six basic aspects of existence: self, other, embodiment, time, space, and choice/freedom. From within these existential realms, participants’ accounts revealed five key existential themes of participating in collective protest: (1) Existential Crises and Activation; (2) Existential Magnification; (3) Existential Horizons; (4) …

The Relationship Between Efficacy And Teacher Turnover Intent, Bradley J. Kolwyck

Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between efficacy and teacher turnover intent in small, poor, rural schools. The researcher focuses on small, poor, rural schools in a Midwest state in the United States due to the state’s annual teacher turnover rate (16.4%) which mirrors the national rate. A sample of 730 teachers was solicited to participate in the study through their building principal with a final response of N = 220 participating. This non-experimental study explores the relationship between efficacy (independent variable) and turnover intent (dependent variable) by collecting data utilizing the online platform of Survey …

Agonistic Grooming In Multiple Lemur Species, Jennie L. Christopher

Dissertations

Social behaviors are represented in every animal species regardless of the level of sociability found in the species. At the very least, conspecifics must interact for the continuation of the species. Depending on species, social behavior could merely consist of mating and territorial disputes, it could consist of a multitude of social behaviors that provide a way of navigating a complex societal structure, or it could consist of any level of interaction between those extremes. However, the behaviors that make up these social repertoires are not universal across species. They could differ in either the form or function of the …

Self-Care Domains, Benefits Of Self-Care In Graduate-Level Training Programs, And Ways To Incorporate Self-Care Education And Practices In Graduate-Level Training Programs, Krystel Segovia

Dissertations

A literature review was conducted to examine the concept of self-care as a proactive means to manage the stressors of life, enhance professional competency, and live a well-balanced lifestyle, particularly for graduate-level psychology students. Different levels of distress, including stress, compassion fatigue, and burnout, were researched and discussed. The various domains of self-care were discussed as were the benefits of engaging in regular self-care practices. Finally, various ways to incorporate self-care into already established graduate-level training programs at universities and practicum training sites were discussed to enhance the training experience as well as mitigate burnout in the novel clinician.

The Impact Of Body-Worn Cameras On Use Of Force And Citizen Complaints: A Quasi-Experimental Study At The Newport News Police Department, Michael Jon Kyle

Dissertations

Several questionable officer involved shootings and perceived abuses of authority disproportionately involving minority citizens have resulted in public outcry, protests, and nationwide scrutiny of police in recent years. The resulting police legitimacy crisis has prompted agencies to rapidly equip officers with body-worn video cameras (BWCs). BWC advocates lauded the findings of an early study that attributed significant reductions in use of force incidents and citizen complaints to the devices and it is this and a handful of other short-term studies upon which the claims of these benefits are predicated. However, subsequent research has produced mixed findings and the sustainability of …

Mathematical Literacy: A Case Study Of Pre-Service Teachers, Maria Gabriela Lopez Jaramillo

Dissertations

This study addresses the question of whether or not pre-service teachers are ready and prepared to use and teach the highly-specialized language of each discipline. The disciplinary languages present teaching and learning challenges due to their lack of parallels in the daily language (Shanahan & Shanahan, 2008). Additionally, the languages of the disciplines are rarely taught and are commonly acquired through an isolated representation of words without a situated meaning within the theory (Gee, 2002). The knowledge of the particular ways of reading, writing, listening to, and talking in the content areas provides opportunities for students’ apprenticeship within the disciplines …

“From Behind The Plow”: Agrarianism And Racial Uplift In African American Literature, 1881-1917, James O'Donoghue

Dissertations

My study challenges our current valorization of movement and flow in readings of African American literature. I do so through an exploration of the representations of the black agrarian masses who either choose to remain or could not afford the spectacular forms of escape to urban life which many essentialized as freedom. In the dramatic and pivotal decades following emancipation, African American leaders attempted to check the growing apartheid by the “combination” of diverse African American communities: North and South, professional and working class. This required that they move beyond the question of whether one was free or slave to …

Consumer Assessment Of Healthcare Providers And Systems In A Psychiatry Practice, Treacy Williams

Dissertations

Problem: Patient-centered care improves healthcare. Patient surveys are instruments used to assess the patient’s experience and is essential to providing patient-centered care. The aim of this quality improvement initiative was to assess patient perceptions of care delivered by nurse practitioner (NP) providers in a psychiatric mental health practice.

Methods: An observational, descriptive design with a customized Consumer Assessment of Health Care Providers and Systems (CAHPS) survey administered in an outpatient psychiatric mental health practice for six weeks. A structure, process, outcomes framework was used. The structure of study was care delivered by the NP, the process of interest was communication …

The Role Of Emotional Intelligence On Occupational Stress And Longevity As Perceived By Special Education Teachers Who Teach Students In Special Day Classes With Moderate To Severe Disabilities, Chukwuka Bandele

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to describe the perceived occupational stressors experienced by moderate to severe teachers of special day class (SDC) in Riverside and San Bernardino counties and how these stressors affect teacher longevity. An additional purpose of this study was to discover the perceptions of moderate to severe teachers of SDC setting on the importance of (EI) characteristics-self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management on their management of occupational stressors and longevity in the teaching profession.

Methodology: The study used a qualitative phenomenological research design to explore the occupational stressors of special education …

Cyber Security In Mental Health: An Assessment Of Current Practice And Behavioral Intent, Richard Hamilton Stotts

Dissertations

Mental health practitioners rely on digital systems to interact with and in some instances treat patients (Hydari, Telang, & Marella, 2015; Recupero, & Rainey, 2005). Yet, while widespread use of digital devices provides significant practical advantages, that same use exacerbates the possibility of a cyber breach (Guterman, 1999). This research describes mental health practitioners’ current cyber security practices and the factors influencing their behavioral intentions to implement cyber security within clinical mental health settings. Factors assessed included knowledge, self-efficacy, norms, threat awareness and penalties. Mental health practitioners (n = 210) from across the United States formed the sample population, received …

Emotional Intelligence: An Essential Ingredient For Principals To Successfully Implement The Big Picture Learning 10 Distinguishers, Amos Nugent Iii

Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this mixed methods descriptive case study was to explore and describe the importance of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management EI characteristics as perceived by principals when implementing the 10 learning distinguishers of Big Picture Learning (BPL) schools’ conceptual framework in order to support the academic success of ninth- to 12th-grade students attending BPL alternative education schools in the Southwestern United States.

Methodology. This mixed methods research design used qualitative and quantitative data to analyze the research questions regarding the importance of EI characteristics when supporting student academic success according to alternative education principals. The …

A Descriptive Phenomenological Study Of Body Art Patients And Their Health Care Experience, Lacee Kaufmann

Dissertations

This study aimed to update dated research by exploring the relationships between patients with body art (tattoos and body piercings) and their interaction with health care providers. This creates a current description of the body art patient’s health care experience. Previous research indicates that body art has been associated with risk taking and deviant behaviors and these behaviors have been used to justify why people with body art are negatively perceived. If the presence of body art and the associated behavior are viewed as a threat to normalcy, then Stangor and Crandall’s theory (2000) suggests that stigma may surround the …

Sedative And Neurotoxic Properties Of Brexanolone Compared To Midazolam In The Developing Rodent Brain, Jacob Huffman

Dissertations

The developing brain is susceptible to extensive neurotoxicity following exposure to sedative/anesthetic drugs (SADs). Every year hundreds of thousands of children around the world are exposed to SADs with no viable non-neurotoxic agents approved for clinical use. Allopregnanolone (AlloP) has well-established sedative effects in adults and neonates. AlloP and many SADs produce sedation/anesthesia through allosteric modulation of GABA_A receptors, which is one of two principal mechanisms behind SAD-induced neurotoxicity. Evidence suggests AlloP has the unique capacity to regulate key apoptotic factors in adults and is widely involved with critical stages of neurodevelopment, indicating this neurosteroid might serve as a …

Emotional Intelligence Methods Utilized By Successful Major League Baseball Closers To Perform Successfully In High Pressure Situations, Joshua Rosenthal

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative case study is to understand the similarities that exist in the descriptions of emotional intelligence methods utilized by retired successful Major League Baseball closers to appraise, express, regulate, and utilize their emotions to perform successfully in high pressure situations.

Methodology: The dissertation was a qualitative case study. Twelve of the top 50 retired save leaders in Major League Baseball were interviewed to understand the similarities in the descriptions of emotional intelligence methods used to perform successfully in high pressure situations. This study attempted to understand what exactly elite closers did to utilize emotional intelligence …

Academic Field Influence On Acquisition Of Global Awareness In Undergraduate Study Abroad Students, Tim Schmalz

Dissertations

Very little comprehensive research has been done thus far examining the effects of academic discipline on study abroad outcomes. This study investigated potential differences between global awareness scores across different academic disciplines for students that participated in study abroad during their undergraduate academic programs. Five hundred and eight-five current and past university students took a short survey modified from a Chieffo & Griffiths 2004 study. Overall global awareness scores, as well as scores for four sub-characteristics: intercultural awareness, personal growth & development, awareness of global interdependence, and functional knowledge of world geography & languages – were compared across student majors …

The Impact Of Nurse To Nurse Mentoring In Leadership Skills Development - Rnmentor2mentor, Linda Macera-Diclemente, Connie M. Smith

Dissertations

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health (IOM, 2010), recommended an increase nursing presence in board service to address healthcare issues and influence change within the healthcare system. Thus, the purpose of the project was to create, design, implement, and evaluate a nurse-to-nurse mentoring program (RNmentor2mentor) for nurses in the state of Michigan aimed at increasing the number of nurses serving on boards.

Developing A Predictive Model For Prostate Cancer Screening Intent, Quentin E. Moore

Dissertations

African Americans bear a disproportionately high burden of cancer incidence and mortality in this country. The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate factors associated with African-American men, who are incarcerated, making informed health decisions about participation in prostate cancer screening, as well as exploring factors that reduce modifiable risk factors for cancer. The United States incarcerates more people per capita than any country in the world and African American men are overrepresented in the U.S. prison system. This dissertation is composed of three manuscripts. The first paper reviews the current literature about the factors that influence African-American males in …

A Multilevel Examination Of Unethical Pro-Organizational Behavior Decision-Making: The Role Of Citizenship Pressure, Moral Disengagement, And Moral Intensity, William Bryant

Dissertations

Unethical pro-organizational behaviors (UPB) are unethical behaviors that are intended to benefit the organization or its members. Research on this type of behavior typically involves assessing attitudinal and dispositional predictors of UPB but has largely failed to understand the process through which UPB occurs. One potential elicitation process could be through a perceived obligation that an employee has to help their organization, or citizenship pressure. By adapting Rest’s four stage model of ethical decision-making and social exchange theory, the current study aimed to identify how organizational identification might increase perceptions of citizenship pressure, and how citizenship pressure might influence elements …

Variables Affecting Student Veterans’ And Student Service Members’ Success In Higher Education, Warren Ray Spadoni

Dissertations

The researcher recognized four independent variables identified as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, mild traumatic brain injury, and traumatic brain injury which influenced the educational attainment of student veterans and student service members in post-secondary education. There were six dependent variables identified as integration, transitioning, social learning, social cognition, quality of life, and perceived self-efficacy which were recognized by the researcher as having influenced the educational attainment of student veterans and student service members in post-secondary education. The researcher posited higher education institutions did not fully understand or acknowledge the combat or service-related independent variables organic to student service members or …

Quality Of Life Of Parental Caregivers Of Children (1-36 Months) With A Tracheostomy, Rachel Abraham Joseph

Dissertations

Children's health and well-being are invariably related to the health and well-being of their parents or caregivers. Many parents undertake home care of children with a tracheostomy who require highly complex and technology driven care that would have been formerly assumed by health care providers. Parents accept multiple responsibilities- that of an advocate, case manager, parent, nurse, and much more. A cross sectional descriptive study using survey method was conducted to gather data on stress, coping and quality of life in parents of children with a tracheostomy aged one month to 36 months.

Exploring Incivility Among Nursing And Health Science Students: A Descriptive Study, Diane Louise Smith

Dissertations

Incivility has infiltrated our institutions of higher learning as well as the world of nursing. All too familiar in nursing is the phrase ";eating their young,"; which aptly describes how nurses treat other nurses, even though they should be nurturing and caring professionals. The investigator explored nursing and health science students' perceptions of student and faculty uncivil behaviors within the academic environment, seeking the levels and frequency of the problem. Bandura's social learning theory presents a sound theoretical framework for this dissertation. The research methodology consisted of a quantitative descriptive approach. The Incivility in Higher Education-Revised (IHE-R) Survey was used …

Southern, Rural African American Women's Hypertension Perceptions, Cassandra D. Ford

Dissertations

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of adult deaths in the United States, and hypertension is a major contributing factor to the development of cardiovascular disease. Epidemiologic research reveals that cardiovascular disease and hypertension are prevalent in southern, rural areas. Vital statistics clearly document the disproportionately high prevalence of hypertension in African American women in the rural south. Therefore, in attempt to learn more about this phenomenon, the present study sought to ascertain and describe the perceptions of hypertensive, southern, rural African American women on their personal and environmental factors affecting their hypertension and how it is controlled and treated. …

An Educational Intervention To Develop Characteristics Of Transformational Leadership In Novice Nurse Managers, Mary Catherine Goetter

Dissertations

To support the development of characteristics of transformational leadership (TFL) in novice nurse managers/administrators (NNM) through use of a Journal Club as an educational intervention based on theories of educational psychology and nursing's unique patterns of knowing.

Does an educational intervention of a Journal Club increase NNM perceived knowledge of characteristics of transformational leadership? Does an educational intervention of a Journal Club increase NNM perceived ability of self to lead? How do NNM describe the effect of the intervention on their leadership knowledge and ability?

Awareness Of Increased Risk For Heart Disease And Cardiovascular Risk Factors In Women With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Patricia Catherine Weinstein

Dissertations

Women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) develop cardiovascular disease (CVD) earlier and at a more accelerated rate compared to women without SLE. Many women with SLE are unaware of their increased risk despite years spent in the health care system, thus giving the atherogenic process time to accrue damage. Research has not explained fully why women with SLE are unaware of their increased risk for CVD or why awareness does not correspond to risk reducing behaviors. Stage theories of behavior like the Precaution Adoption Process Model (PAPM) propose that health behavior change proceeds through qualitatively different stages, and people at …

Teaching Perspectives Of Faculty Members At Arab Universities: Andragogy And Islamic Humanism, Layla Goushey

Dissertations

Cultural differences exist between Western perspectives on humanistic teaching methods and methods developed during the past 100 years in the Arab region based on English and French colonialist systems. Political structures and economic challenges in the region uphold the rigid societal and security structures that limit faculty governance and academic freedom, which impacts teaching and learning perspectives. This study utilized basic qualitative design methods based in constructivist grounded theory. Questionnaires, surveys, and email interviews that invited open-ended, explanatory, and descriptive answers were central to this work. Taking an observer’s approach to this study, I analyzed survey responses of Arab university …