Digital Commons Network^™

The Relationship Of Self-Efficacy And Clinical Reasoning Of Undergraduate Nursing Students, Amy G. Holder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Aim. This investigation aimed to discover if a there is a correlation between a student’s clinical reasoning self-efficacy and a student’s actual clinical reasoning ability. Also, this research sought to discover the connection between an undergraduate nurse’s self-efficacy of clinical reasoning and the locus of control of that student. Finally, this investigation sought to discover if perceived self-efficacy of clinical reasoning changed over time.

Background. The ability to successfully navigate the process of clinical reasoning is critical to providing safe, effective care for patients. For nurses, this process begins to develop in nursing school. Unfortunately, evidence suggests that newly graduated …

"No One's Gonna Say That At Church:" Women's Experiences With Infertility In Christian Faith Communities, Donna Paulsen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explores women’s experiences with infertility in Christian faith communities. Drawing from nine one-on-one interviews, the author argues that the presence of particular religious ideologies, social interactions, and rituals within faith communities contributed to the stigmatization and marginalization of study participants. Employing Muted Group Theory, the author uncovers the communicative strategies infertile women employ to resist these oppressive practices. A qualitative analysis of participants’ narratives presents two principal categories, containing a total of four findings relating to the harmful beliefs and practices of these women’s faith communities. The author argues that the veneration of motherhood and children suggests that …

The Benefits Of Alternative Therapies On Adult Mental Health, Sara Bryan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the following descriptive pre and post study was to collect and analyze data to determine if there are benefits to alternative therapies on adult mental health. Three types of alternative therapies were studied: aromatherapy, recreation therapy, and yoga. A literature review was conducted and pre and post questionnaires were administered. Frequencies and averages were run which showed that participants were mostly Caucasian, with an average age of 31 years and most diagnosed with depression and anxiety. Participants showed decreased levels of anxiety and depression after attending both aromatherapy and yoga classes. Participants showed decreased anxiety levels after …

An Instrumental Case Study: Growth Mindset Instructional Best Practices For Learning Disabled Students, Brenda L. Cornell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problem that drove this study was that students who struggle in school, especially those with a non-intelligence-based learning disability, suffer from a fixed mindset after years of feelings of failure in school. This mindset causes them to develop maladaptive approaches to learning that inhibit success. The purpose of this study was to describe the best practices of reading teachers who have a reputation for high student achievement and who adhere to a growth mindset in an effort to build a growth mindset culture with their students. This qualitative instrumental case study was conducted through interviews of eleven reading teachers/specialists …

Translation Technique And Versional Evidence: The Syriac Peshitta Version Of Colossians As A Witness To Its Greek Text, Ryne Alan Parrish

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Syriac Peshitta version of the New Testament holds great potential for NT textual criticism, but its value to this field is partially dependent upon the ability to deduce the particularities of the Greek text from which it was translated. To assess this ability, a thorough understanding of translation technique in each NT book is required. Toward such an end, this thesis provides a detailed study of the translation technique of Peshitta Colossians (PCol) and an evaluation thereof as a witness to its Greek Vorlage. I argue that the translation technique of PCol does not consistently allow confident conclusions to …

The Moderating Effect Of Social Support On The Impact Of Perceived Loneliness On The Mental Health Of Long-Term Care Nursing Home Residents, Lindsay Nicole Stivers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present study is to examine the moderating effect of social support on the impact of loneliness on anxiety and depression in long-term care residents in nursing homes. Recent research suggests that a relationship exists between loneliness and rates of depression and anxiety in long-term care nursing home residents. The present study seeks to examine the buffering effect of social support and utilize the findings to provide suggestions for policy, practice, and research. A binary logistic regression and a series of multiple linear regressions were conducted to examine the relationships between the variables. The present study’s sample …

The Effect Of Radium Partitioning On Hydrothermal Fluid Flow Determination Across Guaymas Basin, Charlotte R. Kollman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Analysis of the distribution of radium through sedimentary porewater profiles is a promising method for constraining diffuse discharge/recharge flow rates in hydrothermal settings; these parameters are critical for evaluating hydrothermal circulation and its chemical and biological implications. The short-lived 224Ra (T1/2 = 3.54 days) is an effective tracer due to its behavior in marine environments and changes in activity due to ingrowth/decay. However, the distribution of radium may be influenced by its varying solid:aqueous partitioning coefficients (Kd) and is critical to understand for any study utilizing radium as a tracer. This project explores Kd across the hydrothermally active Guaymas Basin …

Community Involvement In Flood Mitigation: A Survey-Based Approach In Marion County, Sc, Lillian C. Howie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Marion County is located in northern South Carolina between the Great Pee Dee and Little Pee Dee Rivers. Because Marion County was the location of severe flooding during hurricanes Matthew (2016) and Florence (2018), the South Carolina Floodwater Commission identified Marion County as a location for drainage system improvement by the Infrastructure and Shoreline Armoring Task Force. In order to align plans for drainage system improvement with the needs of the local communities, commission chairman Thomas Mullikin requested a community survey to gauge the residents' personal experiences and views on what changes should be made to address the problem. The …

The Effects Of Resistance Deception On Muscular Strength, Muscular Endurance, And Perceived Exertion, Broderick L. Dickerson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Resistance deception during training is a lightly researched topic and is seen as a modification that can potentially act on central control during exercise. Studies that have observed effects of deception while training have yielded mixed results. The effects of deception on strength, muscular endurance, and perceived exertion and the mechanisms of action that may elicit changes are still unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the effects of resistance deception on muscular strength, muscular endurance, and perceived exertion in a trained population. Eight participants finished the study and underwent four trials, one of which was a …

A Phenomenological Inquiry Into Vision Loss: Investigating The Lived Experiences Of Adventitiously Blinded Adults, Jennifer Perry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to share the lived experiences of four adventitiously blinded individuals. The researcher interviewed participants regarding the events surrounding their vision loss. The researcher used a descriptive phenomenological method to analyze the results.

Through analysis, seven themes emerged as essential experiences for experiencing adventitious vision loss: Medical Dysfunction, Others’ Reactions, Ancillary Losses, Rehabilitation, Sensory Enhancements, Benefits of Vision Loss, and Participants’ Advice.

The study indicated that participants’ experiences are influenced by how others in society understand blindness. Suggestions included providing a greater awareness to the public for blindness, its effects, and its available rehabilitation options.

The Effects Of Ego Depletion And Deception On Thin-Slicing Accuracy, Jessica C. Lowe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to examine the effects of ego depletion and deception on thin slicing. Experiment 1 examined whether participants could identify a video that contained a lie at an accuracy rate better-than-chance. Fifty-five percent of participants selected the deception video, which provided support that the videos were distinguishable. Experiment 2 assessed whether ego depletion and deception could decrease thin-slicing accuracy. The main effect of deception on deception accuracy was significant, such that participants in the deception condition had lower deception accuracy than participants in the no-deception condition. The main effect of depletion and the interaction of depletion and …

Transition Practices For Students With High-Incidence Disabilities In A Rural School, Kristina M. Martin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Individuals with disabilities often have difficulty obtaining and maintaining employment after graduation from high school. Employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities are significantly less than their typical peers. One potential cause of lower employment outcomes for people with disabilities is the result of public schools’ failure to implement appropriate individualized transition plans and services. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate the effectiveness of evidence-based transition practices as perceived by school educators, parents of students with high-incidence disabilities who receive special education services, and outside agency providers in a rural school in the North Central Texas area. …

Utilization Of A Concurrent Query Form To Improve Clinical Documentation In A Va Facility For Patients With Stroke Or Tia, Lisa A. Keefner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Caring for stroke patients diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and transient ischemic attack (TIA) at Veterans Health Administration (VHA) acute care hospitals is a very complex process that centers on accurate documentation. Inaccurate or missing documentation leads to patient safety issues, lower quality care, and inaccurate Veteran Equitable Resource Allocation (VERA) classification for reimbursement. This pilot project’s 3 problems of interest include improving provider response to clinical queries about documentation, capturing national metrics collected by the VHA, and accurately representing veterans in VERA classification. Based on a review of the literature available on patient treatment file (PTF) accuracy and …

Effect Of Creatinine Point-Of-Care Testing On Turnaround Time For Computed Tomography Exams With Intravenous Contrast, Shannon Haltom

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Emergency departments often have a stigma of long wait times. They face multiple challenges related to the flow of patient care due to the variety of factors that affect care and treatment. In order to support patient-centered care, the purpose of this project was to determine if point-of-care testing of creatinine decreases turnaround time for computed tomography exams with intravenous contrast in the emergency department. A mixed methodology of consecutive sampling and retrospective data collection was used. In all, 128 ratio data elements were reviewed, including a retrospective review of 64 charts from September 2018 and a consecutive sample …

Public School Administrators’ Perceptions Of Teacher Expectations And The Influence On Behavior Infractions And Academic Achievement Of Black Students In Mismatch Title I Classrooms, Kimberly D. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Black students make up the vast majority of the student population in at-risk schools identified as Title I. With large gaps in educational achievement, Black, at-risk students have lower federal and state test scores, higher course failure rates, and lower enrollment in classes such as Advanced Placement when compared to their White counterparts. With this in mind, teacher expectations play a vital role in the success of Title I, Black students. Public school administrators are also integral when it comes to leading the direction of instruction within these teacher-led classrooms. In this qualitative, interpretative phenomenological study, the researcher explored how …

How Do Nurse-To-Patient Ratios In The Emergency Department Impact Patient Experience?, Jessica L. Marcoux

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is a lack of consensus about the staffing matrix across nursing and especially in emergency

nursing, where variations in arrival patterns, acuity, social determinants of health, and length of stay all impact the workload of emergency nurses. The objective of this paper was to determine if government-mandated staffing ratios had a greater impact on patient experience at hospitals in California than staffing based on hours per patient visit at hospitals in Massachusetts. Seven hospitals from the state of California with government-mandated nurse-to-patient ratios were compared to 7 hospitals from Massachusetts that did not have mandated staffing ratios to determine …

Increasing Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors In Cargo Drivers, Ronda L. Bell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this project was to examine the extent to which lifestyle behaviors of transportation drivers in North Texas can be improved with health education. This research study was conducted to examine the health behaviors of transportation drivers as a result of an educational partnership between nursing and the transportation industry. The goal was to improve healthy lifestyles through education to decrease chronic illness and comorbid conditions of a significantly at-risk occupational population. The impact of this education was immediate and verified with quantitative measurement and statistical analysis. Results demonstrated that after nurse-led health education, transportation drivers reported significant …

The Impact Of Education On The Attitudes Of Staff Of A Rehabilitation Hospital, Kathryn Voreis, Kathryn G. Voreis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Stroke, also known as CVA or cerebrovascular accident, is a major chronic disease worldwide. In the United States, it is the leading cause of disability, costing a billion dollars each year (CDC, 2017). Typically, Western medicine is used for the treatment of stroke in the United States. An approach that has potential to improve general health outcomes, movement, mobility, aphasia, and quality of life includes acupuncture along with the standard therapies. The purpose of this quantitative research was to determine if the staff of a rehabilitation hospital would have a change in attitude after an educational program on acupuncture. The …

A Qualitative Case Study To Investigate How Educators Promote Parent Collaboration And Involvement For African American Elementary Males With Learning Disabilities, Derek E. Pierce

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The disproportionate identification and achievement gap of African American students and their peers are inexhaustible. African American students continue to lag tremendously behind their Asian and Caucasian peers. There is limited research of African American students with disabilities as it relates specifically to various components of special education. To understand the narrative surrounding African American males, their achievement, and the collaboration between their parents and educators, the researcher will evaluate various components in conjunction with educators’ composition and characteristics and various parent’s attributes and behaviors. The purpose of this qualitative case study is to investigate how educators promote parent collaboration …

Culturally Familiar Texts To Improve Reading And Writing Outcomes For High School English Language Learners: An Explanatory Sequential Mixed Methods Study, Taryn Courtney Robertson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research suggests that culturally relevant pedagogical strategies are essential for improving culturally and linguistically diverse student achievement. However, there is little research about which specific strategies provide the largest impacts. And there is even less research on which strategies help LatinX English Language Learners achieve academic success in the areas of reading and writing. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of utilizing culturally familiar text, as compared to culturally unfamiliar text, on reading comprehension and summary writing outcomes for secondary LatinX ELL students. This study sought to determine if there were statistically significant differences in reading …

Controlling Transition Metal-Catalyzed Alkyne Annulations Utilizing Polarized Ynol Ethers, Brandon L. Coles-Taylor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Transition metal-catalyzed alkyne annulations have developed into incredibly powerful synthetic tools over there the past quarter century. These reactions provide rapid access to important organic scaffolds such as indole, quinoline, isoquinoline, indene, and isocoumarin scaffolds. Transition metal mediated alkyne annulations have proven invaluable in synthetic fields, such as natural product total synthesis, by offering efficient pathways to otherwise synthetically difficult to access substrates.

Foundational works performed by chemist such as Larock, Ackermann, Satoh, and Miura have been established through relying upon the usage of symmetrical alkynes. When unsymmetrical alkynes are used in annulation processes mixtures of regioisomers are often isolated. …

Nyku: A Social Robot For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Dan Stephan Stoianovici

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The continued growth of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) around the world has spurred a growth in new therapeutic methods to increase the positive outcomes of an ASD diagnosis. It has been agreed that the early detection and intervention of ASD disorders leads to greatly increased positive outcomes for individuals living with the disorders. Among these new therapeutic methods, Robot-Assisted Therapy (RAT) has become a hot area of study. Recent works have shown that high functioning ASD children have an affinity for interacting with robots versus humans. It is proposed that this is due to a less complex set of communication …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Experiences Of Military Families, Who Have Children With Disabilities And Maladaptive Behavior, With School-Based Mental Health Personnel, Londi J. Segler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study used a phenomenological approach to capture the lived experiences of military families who have children with disabilities and maladaptive behavior to note risk and protective factors that might impede the mental health development of that population of student. Through interviews with at-home-caregivers, I explored their experiences with public school staff, outside mental health services, and school psychologists. Study findings revealed that participants felt they were going to battle with school staff who were not willing to incorporate culturally responsive practices when working with their children. School staff who implemented regular bi-directional communication were more likely to gain …

Examining Artifacts Of The Watershed Segmentation, Emily Jo Armitage

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The watershed segmentation is an algorithm used to systematically track cell intercalary behaviors during germ band extension of the Drosophila embryo. Neighboring cells share a contracting vertical interface, called a T1, which continues contracting to a single point, a T2, and extending in the horizontal direction to create what is called a T3 interface (Fig. 1). Additionally, higher order vertices called rosettes occur when five or more cells meet at a common vertex. Simulated T2 events demonstrate that cell angle and not noise level in the image contributes to the incorrect detection of artifactual T1s in more acute angled cells …

Iron In Urban Air Pollution, Joseph R. Salazar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The processes by which iron is solubilized are largely unknown. There are three hypotheses on how iron is soluble: 1) iron is thought to undergo an acid based solubilization process, 2) iron undergoes an oxidation/reduction process and reduces iron(III) to the more soluble iron(II), and 3) iron is bound to organic molecules, which solubilizes it. The 3 hypotheses on iron water-solubilized are explored by presenting two individual studies.

The first study investigates iron directly from car exhaust. Exhaust particles were collected from 32 vehicles. Iron solubility in these samples ranged from 0%-82% with the average iron solubility being 30%. X-ray …

What Happens Next? A Grounded Theory Exploration Of The Psychological Impact Of Leaving The Gang, Alana C. Liskov

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Very little research exists regarding the psychological impacts of gang membership and the mental health needs of gang members. Of the few studies that have been conducted, gang members were found to have increased rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (1.77 odds), current substance abuse (2.58 odds), oppositional defiant disorder, (1.24 odds) and conduct disorder (4.05 odds) (Harris, Elkins, Butler, Shelton, Robles, Kwok, Simpson, Young, Mayhew, Brown, & Sargent, 2013). Violent ruminative thinking, violent victimization and fear of further victimization were also significantly higher in gang members and believed to account for high levels of psychosis and anxiety disorder in gang …

Graphene/Oxide Interactions With Polymer Networks Modeled Using Molecular Dynamics, Matthew Alan Reil

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Due to its unique physical properties, graphene has shown great promise as an additive to Polymer Matrix Composites (PMCs) for material property enhancement. Achieving homogeneous dispersion of the graphene platelets within a polymeric network is critical to realizing these enhancements. Research has shown that achieving homogeneous dispersion of graphene platelets within PMCs is challenging as graphene is immiscible with most polymeric networks. This work used Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations to demonstrate dispersion of graphene platelets within PMCs is inhibited by molecular surface charge potentials. Further simulations were conducted to demonstrate functionalized forms of graphene, specifically graphene oxide, have altered surface …

Urban Informality, Environmental Xenophobia, And Infrastructures Of Citizenship: The Political Lives Of Nicaraguan Migrants In The Informal Settlement Of La Carpio, Costa Rica, Nikolai Alexander Alvarado

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines urban politics, environmental justice, and infrastructure from the vantage point of South-South migration. It focuses on the work of Nicaraguan migrants living in the informal settlement of La Carpio in San José, Costa Rica, as they negotiate rights in the form of urban services. Nicaraguans in La Carpio have organized politically since 1993 to self-install, demand, and negotiate services such as potable water and electricity. In the process, they successfully compel local authorities to allocate these services and grant them an implicit recognition of their right to remain and live a decent life, regardless of their status. …

The Eu Ets: A Critical Analysis, Marceline Grey Swan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Carbon markets, established via cap & trade programs, are the dominant means by which climate stabilization is currently being pursued worldwide, with many centered around the European Union’s Emissions Trading Scheme. As such, a critical analysis of the EU ETS & its effectiveness is crucial to assess whether the EU carbon market is an effective mechanism to achieve climate stabilization. The effectiveness of the overall program was evaluated via a determination of whether the EU ETS, & to a greater extent the EU carbon market, has allowed for emissions reductions in line with the goal for climate stabilization set by …

English Language Proficiency And General Intellectual Ability: Is There A Relationship?, Emily Kathleen Coggin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the persistent problem of practice that ELLs are not identified for gifted programs at the same rate as their native English-speaking peers. The purpose of this research study was to investigate the relationship among English language proficiency levels and general intellectual ability of English language learners for gifted identification. In this study English language proficiency and general intellectual ability were defined as the performance on the ACCESS for ELLs language proficiency test and the performance on the NNAT Nonverbal Ability Test respectively. A Pearson product moment correlation was used to examine the strength and direction of the …