Digital Commons Network^™

Student Perceptions Regarding The Use Of Purposive English In A Spanish As A Foreign Language Classroom, Kacey Booth

Dissertations

In modern American society, diversity is both challenged and celebrated, and inclusion is imperative. This ideology begins in the classroom. Oftentimes, this celebration of diversity, more specifically linguistic diversity, is most visible in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) classes and similar bilingual educational programs. In TESOL programs, students’ international identities are highlighted and students are often instructed using multilingual educational resources to scaffold their acquisition of English. Historically, foreign language teaching also utilized dual-language instructional methodologies. Such archaic teaching methodologies have since been replaced by more modern and immersive sociopsycholinguistic approaches such as Communicative Language Teaching. Such …

Self-Management And Self-Management Support On Functional Ablement In Chronic Low Back Pain, Jennifer Kawi

Dissertations

The pervasiveness of chronic low back pain and its subsequent disability are alarming in today's healthcare. Although literature is beginning to explicate the impact of self-management (SM) and self-management support (SMS) in other chronic illnesses, there remains limited understanding on whether SM and SMS influence functional ablement in chronic low back pain patients. This study examined whether SM and SMS significantly influenced functional ablement after controlling for mental state and demographic characteristics, examined whether SM mediated the SMS-functional ablement relationship, and described patient perceptions of their SM, SMS, and functional ablement. The adapted Chronic Care Model guided this study. A …

Contentment In "Songs Of The Gorilla Nation: My Journey Through Autism": A Humanbecoming Hermeneutic Study, Susan Agnes Bonis

Dissertations

Contentment is a universally lived experience that is inexplicably intertwined with health and quality of life. The aims of this humanbecoming hermeneutic study were to identify the essence of the experience of contentment, to contribute to knowledge about humanbecoming, and to contribute to the knowledge base of nursing. The source of data collection was the text of Songs of the Gorilla Nation: My Journey through Autism. Through a hermeneutic process of discoursing with penetrating engagement, interpreting with quiescent beholding, and understanding with inspiring envisaging the structure of the lived experience of contentment was illuminated in the text. The finding is …

Nurses' Information Processing Related To Surveillance As An Intervention In The Care Of Stroke Patients, Lori Rhudy

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the nursing intervention of surveillance from an information processing framework. Research questions addressed how surveillance was expressed by nurses during the care of stroke patients and the relationship of cues identified to the focus of care.

Can Ratings Of Item Location Enhance Statistical Item Parameter Estimation? Extending The Feasibility Of Unfolding Irt Models, Michael Mckenna

Dissertations

Research and development of modern psychometric methods such as item response theory have drastically changed the way we understand and carry out the measurement of psychological constructs. Despite this, there has been relatively little adoption by psychological researchers to incorporate these methods into their research. While multiple explanations are surely valid, one oft stated reason is the large sample size requirements of these methods. The sample size requirements of item response theory are needed so that effective estimation of item parameters can be carried out. In an attempt to make these modern measurement methods more accessible and feasible to psychological …

System Usage: A Shared Mental Model Perspective, Rooji Sugathan

Dissertations

The failure rate of Information Systems (IS) projects is high and has been high for many years. Failed IS projects leave organizations with systems that have very low usage and a negative rate of return on their investment. System use is a key measure of IS success. User participation and involvement (UPI) during application development and configuration are key factors that influence system use. However, empirical studies have shown mixed results for the influence of UPI on system use.

This study explores the extent to which shared mental model (SMM) of a project team influences the impact of UPI on …

Hypertension Therapeutic Goal Attainment In Patients With Dual Diagnoses Of Hypertension And Diabetes, Susan Marie Harris

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the adequacy of blood pressure control and utilization patterns of antihypertensive agents among patients with dual diagnoses of hypertension and Diabetes Mellitus type 2 seen in a primary care clinic during the calendar year 2008.

The Effect Of A Work-Place Based Education Program On Moral Distress, Nancy Miller Powell

Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to determine if registered nurses (RNs) who attended a workplace-based educational program would have decreased intensity, frequency, and total moral distress, compared to nurses who did not attend the program. This educational program was operationalized using a framework published by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses' program entitled The 4A's to Rise Above Moral Distress (2005). Moral distress is an insidious problem affecting many registered nurses, directly and or indirectly, with potentially harmful consequences. A review of the literature revealed that the consequences of moral distress produce a significant negative effect on …

Exploring The Subconcepts Of The Wittman-Price Theory Of Emancipated Decision-Making In Women's Health Care Using Infant Feeding Method As The Clinical Exemplar, Ruth Ann Wittmann-Price

Dissertations

The Wittmann-Price Theory of Emancipated Decision-making (EDM) was derived from the philosophical underpinnings of Critical Social, Freire's Emancipatory Education and Feminist Theory. The theory describes a process of reaching a more positive state of being, a state of freedom in choice, by first acknowledging the effective experience of oppression in women's healthcare. This oppression produces a dilemma in decision-making by socially sanctioning one alternative as superior over all other alternatives. The theory proposed that five subconcepts must be present when using the decision-making process. These are empowerment, a flexible environment, personal knowledge, reflection, and social norms. This study used three …

Contributions Of Patient Characteristics And Organizational Factors To Patient Outcomes Of Diabetes Care In Hualien, Taiwan, Shu-Chuan Chang

Dissertations

This cross-sectional study measured quality of diabetes care and explored the contributions of patient and organizational factors to patient outcomes of diabetes care in Hualien, Taiwan. Donabedian's structure-process-outcome framework was applied to examine the system of health care in Hualien County with respect to the quality and outcomes related to patients with diabetes.

Surviving On The Margin Of A Profession: Experiences Of Black Nurses, Josephine Bassey Etowa

Dissertations

This study used grounded theory method to explicate Black nurses' worklife experiences within the health care system in Nova Scotia. The aim of this research was to develop substantive theory of this phenomenon. The data were collected using informal interviews, observations, field notes and group meetings. Theoretical sampling was used to enhance maximum variation within the sample.

Factors Influencing Family Caregiver Burden At A Taiwanese Hospital, Pi-Ming Yeh

Dissertations

In Taiwan, most of the hospitalized patients have their relatives with them 24 hours a day. New family caregivers are usually poorly prepared to take on their role, and little literature demonstrates that nurses assess the burden of family caregivers in the hospital. The purpose of this study was to examine cancer patients' dependency, caregivers' factors, and family support that predict outcomes of family caregiver burden, including impact on health, schedule, and finances in the hospitals in Taiwan. A multivariate descriptive design was used.

The Effects Of Rocking Chair Motion On Postoperative Ileus Duration, Subjective Pain, Pain Medication Use And Time To Discharge Following Abdominal Surgery, Robert Lee Massey

Dissertations

Rocking motion may be useful in resolving postoperative ileus (POI) in cancer patients who have undergone abdominal surgery. Operations of the abdomen result in gastrointestinal dysmotility, to some extent, in all patients because abdominal surgical procedures to remove abdominal tumors require large abdominal incisions, extensive dissection, and manipulation of the bowel that initiates a surgical induced stress response commonly known as, postoperative ileus. In this study, the effects of a rocking chair motion as a moderator of the surgical stress response and mediator of the gas and distention effects of POI in abdominal surgery cancer patients compared to standard care …

Vertical Violence And The Student Nurse: Is This Toxic For Professional Identity Development?, Sherri Williams Cantey

Dissertations

This narrative inquiry centers on student nurses' stories of vertical violence perpetuated by clinical registered nursing staff and the meaning that students associate with this phenomenon. Student nurses are the very young and potentially impressionable members of our profession; therefore, a concern of this study was if vertical violence affects professional identity development for the student nurse. Additionally through stories revealed by these participants, this study attempted to explore whether perceptions of violence are believed to be a rite of passage into the profession. Students are the future of our profession, and it is important that this phenomenon be understood …

Non-Traditional Church Involvement As A Life-Course Turning Point: Qualitative Interviews With Religious Offenders, William Hunter Holt

Dissertations

This research project conducted and then analyzed qualitative interviews from former and current addicts and criminal offenders who are voluntarily participating in the Christian faith at the same non-traditional, Protestant church. An abridged case study of this church is also provided for background and context. Life-course theory and grounded theory are utilized.

Both the offenders and this church were chosen in an attempt to better understand how the offenders’ involvement at this house of worship, along with their faith in general, have impacted them. Obtaining the perspectives of the offender is essential for three reasons. First, qualitative research conducted in …

Team Creation Methods In Practice: Understanding The Potential Effects Of Nonverbal Communication In The Leadership Of Team Formation, Troy Allen Robertson

Dissertations

Teams require leadership, even if they are self-managed. The group of individuals who make up a team must be gathered in some form or another. For self managed teams to function successfully, the first step is the process of creating the team. Many aspects may factor into the creation process. Often time is of the essence and methods to quickly assess and form teams show merit. First impressions in general are based largely on nonverbal communication. The focus of this mixed-methods concurrent embedded study is to analyze the potential effects of nonverbal communication on influencing team creation. A group of …

Apprenticeship Participation At Ge Appliances: An Insider’S Ethnographic Study Of Apprentice Participation And Factors Contributing To Student Success, Berschel Robert Hunt

Dissertations

The United States Department of Labor (DOL) has defined an apprenticeship as a combination of on-the-job training and related classroom instruction in which workers learn the practical and theoretical aspects of a highly skilled occupation (Smith, 1996, p. 5). General Electric Appliances (GEA) has viewed the DOL model as a viable solution to the decreasing numbers of skilled workers available to employers. Leaders at GEA determined a void existed between the number of skilled workers needed for GEA operations compared to the number of skilled workers available. GEA apprentice programs were suspended in 1995 but reinstated in 2015 to address …

Intersex Experiences, Activists’ Perspectives, And Counseling Implications, Cynthia J. Mulit

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Intersex people are born with sex development differences; for example, atypical genitals. The intersex community is the only sexual minority population subjected to medical treatments in infancy designed to make their bodies conform to cultural expectations for male and female bodies. Intersex activism to stop the medicalized treatments began in the late 1990s. No other qualitative study has focused on the experiences of intersex activists. Four leading activists were interviewed in depth regarding their personal, activist, and counseling experiences. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. A 3-stage intersex identity development model was formulated …

A Qualitative Study Investigating The Common Or Shared Experiences Of Saudi And American Parents Of Students With Autism In The Iep-Process, Alwiah Abdullah Alsaggaf

Dissertations

Nationally, research on special education has emphasized the importance of involving parents in the individual educational plan (IEP) process (Al-Herz, 2008; Angel, Stoner, & Shelden, 2009; Hebel & Persitz, 2014; Hobbs & Silla, 2008; Hui-Chen & Mason, 2008). The IEP is a blueprint for special education and related special education services in the United States and other countries (Alquraini, 2013; Hebel & Persitz, 2014; Martin et al., 2006; Tal, 2009; Yell, Katsiyannis, Ennis, & Losinki, 2013). Development and implementation of effective educational programs for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) involve collaboration with parents (Hebel & Persitz, 2014). However, the …

The Pre-Instructional And Reading Comprehension Strategies Special Education Teachers Use To Engage And Instruct Elementary Student Readers With Asd, Murfet Alnemr

Dissertations

Lyon (1998) called reading “critical to a child’s overall well-being.” Given the ubiquity of text in their lives today, reading skills can help students lead productive, meaningful lives. But what about elementary student readers with ASD? Senokossoff (2016) argued that “in addition to the social and emotional difficulties that children with ASD experience, many also struggle with reading comprehension.” Research indicates that students with ASD can face deficits associated with self-regulation and sensory overload—associated with visual, hearing, and touch —and this can threaten learning and comprehension (Bogdashina, 2003). Thus, it could be argued that pre-instruction strategies focused on visual, hearing, …

A Qualitative Study Investigating Post-Secondary Services For Students With Learning Disabilities At Saudi Universities, Nahed Mohammed Binbakhit

Dissertations

This qualitative study explored the challenges and obstacles confronting students with learning disabilities who receive assistance from support service centers at Saudi Arabia universities. It also addressed the strategies and skills that students used to overcome these challenges and reviewed the recommendations for the further development of support services. The study was conducted in support services centers at two Saudi public universities in Saudi Arabia (Riyadh). The participants were five female students with learning disabilities and five female staff members at the support services centers.

The study used a semi-structured, faceto- face in-depth interview process to gather information.

Participants addressed …

Tattoo Adversity, Regret, And Removal: Constructivist Grounded Theory, Luis R. Esparza

Dissertations

To date, unique tattoo designs and inks have become a trend (Mao & De Joseph, 2012). Regrettably, trendy tattoos have brought many forms of tattoo adversity. Tattoo adversity can include tattoo regret, tattoo-related health complications, and tattoo artist -tattooed relational betrayal (Birrell & Freyd, 2006). The purpose of this study was to explore the events, circumstances, and experiences that comprise tattoo adversity to such a degree that an individual would seek tattoo removal. The researcher utilized constructivist grounded theory to understand participants’ experiences of tattoo adversity leading to tattoo removal. Interview data illuminated participants’ tattoo regret, pain, and aspirations while …

The Influence Of Intergroup Contact On Attitudes Toward Diversity Among Professional Counselors: A Mixed Methods Study, Jiyoung Moon

Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to explore diverse intergroup contact experiences and attitudes toward diversity among professional counselors. A total of 137 participants were included in the first phase of the study, which was a quantitative survey of intergroup contact experiences and attitudes, and eight participants were interviewed for the second qualitative phase. The quantitative results indicated that the quantity of intergroup contact was positively related to the perceived importance of intergroup contact, and all intergroup contact variables were positively related to the overall attitudes toward diversity. While multicultural courses in graduate counseling programs were not found to …

The Impact Of Neurofeedback On Women Diagnosed With Ptsd: A Multiple Case Study, Reema Abdulrahman Alhowaish

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine how women diagnosed with PTSD experienced neurofeedback (NFB) using quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative data included pre- and post-test scores on the quantitative electroencephalogram (QEEG), the Davidson Trauma Scale, and the Inventory of Altered Self-capacities. The qualitative data illuminated participants’ experiences with NFB and their observations about the changes that occurred during and after NFB. The participants in this study included three women who received at least 20 sessions of NFB to treat their PTSD. The results indicated that two participants achieved a significant reduction in their PTSD symptoms and improvements …

Trauma And Social Frameworks: The Effect Of Uasd-Government Conflict Between 1966 And 1978 Over Perspectives About Higher Education, Jesús Leonardo D'Alessandro

Dissertations

Currently, the expenditures for higher education by the Dominican government are at record highs (OECD, 2012; MESCYT, 2018). Yet, nationwide, student attrition rates in universities average a challenging 50% (OECD, 2012). This percetange climbs to 80% in Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD). UASD is the oldest public university and the largest higher education institution in the Dominican Republic, hosting 44% of all undergraduate students enrolled in the country (OECD, 2012; UASD, 2018). The institution’s attrition levels suggest that while the Dominican government’s investment in higher education is high, the return on that investment is low.

Although domestic plans and …

A Functional Analysis Of Losses In A Risky Choice Procedure, David W. Sottile

Dissertations

Loss chasing is a maladaptive pattern of risky behavior in which the frequency of risky behavior temporarily increases after a loss. The conditions under which loss chasing occurs are not well understood. Conditioned reinforcement appears to play a role in loss chasing, but the consideration of antecedent variables is necessary for a complete account. The purpose of this study was to test the role of (1) a stimulus that indicated the number of trials left in the session (i.e., a trial counter), and (2) the effect of the ordinal value of a trial in a risky choice task on loss …

Medical Cannabis And Recreational Marijuana: Patient Perceptions, Stigma, And Gender During A Time Of Emerging Legalization, Matt Reid

Dissertations

Marijuana’s status as an illegal drug has been redefined over the previous three decades. Despite Michigan and 32 other states having comprehensive medical cannabis programs, both academics and laypeople commonly present the medicalization of marijuana as an intermediary phase or proxy for fully legalized recreational use. While some evidence exists to support this position, this framework marginalizes the struggles and experiences of patients who have found relief through their therapeutic use of cannabis. As such, the goal of this study is to re-center the voices of cannabis patients in academic conversations of cannabis as medicine.

My study is unique in …

Community Involvement As A Protective Factor In Black College Students At Predominantly White Institutions, Shelee-Ann M. Flemmings

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of community involvement on psychological functioning, academic success, and critical consciousness in Black undergraduate students enrolled at predominantly White institutions (PWIs). Research has found that Black students attending PWIs often report feelings of isolation, non-acceptance, and rejection (Lett & Wright, 2003). Attrition rates are higher for Black students compared to their White counterparts (Lee & Barnes, 2015), and general and race-related perceived stressors have been associated with psychological distress (Neville, Heppner, Ji, & Thye, 2004). An online survey was used to assess general and race-related stress, psychological functioning, critical consciousness, …

A Parametric Analysis Of The Sunk Cost Effect, Amanda F. Devoto

Dissertations

Sunk costs are previous investments of time, effort, or money toward a goal that cannot be recovered. People often honor sunk costs by continuing to pursue a goal, despite the availability of an alternative path that would pay off faster, a phenomenon called the sunk cost effect. Prior research has identified variables that influence the sunk cost effect. One variable found in hypothetical scenario-based research and in behavior-based research (Pattison et al., 2011) has been percent of goal completed. The current study was designed to (1) replicate and extend research by Pattison and colleagues and (2) compare results from the …

Racial Identity Among Native American Adults In The Southwestern United States, Deidre P. Begay

Dissertations

There is growing interest in the empirical psychological study of Native Americans. Nonetheless, currently there are few empirical investigations examining Native American identity from a racial perspective. One study, completed in 2011 by Gonzalez and Bennett, modified the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity to adapt to Native American individuals and used an Exploratory Factor Analysis that resulted in a four factor model of Native American identity called the Native Identity Scale (Gonzalez & Bennett, 2011). The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability of the Native Identity Scale when used with a sample from self-identified Native American adults …