Undergraduate Nursing Students’ Learning Style Preferences And Preferred Faculty Teaching Methods Compared To The Actual Methods Used By Faculty, Linda Simpson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Aim. The aim of this study was to examine the generational differences of undergraduate nursing students’ learning style preferences and their preferred faculty teaching methods to the teaching methods used most often by nursing faculty in the classroom.

Background. Nursing educators are responsible for creating learning environments that are effective for students that are in different generations and nursing educational pathways. Each generational cohort brings a collective set of characteristics, expectations, and preferences to the classroom, challenging educators to balance the generational learning styles of all students with respectable, evidence-based, pedagogical approaches. This study was one of the …

Putting Cajuns On The Map: Music's Role In Popularizing Louisiana's Bayou Culture, Christine Broussard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Southern Louisiana witnessed a grassroots Cajun cultural revival whose most active years stretched across three decades in the latter half of the twentieth century. While important local and world events created conditions favorable to its development, actors and events within the Cajun musical sphere specifically, and the establishment and use of iconography within that sphere, played integral roles in sustaining the Cajun renaissance into the 1980s. Activist efforts that recast long-held negative tropes about Cajun culture ensured modern-day Cajuns had access not only to cultural traditions but to the same spaces created to help keep those traditions alive. While those …

Lowering Perceived Stress Levels In Undergraduate Nursing Students, Caitlin Dodd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project analyzed the effects of guided meditations and a stress management class on undergraduate, prelicensure nursing students’ perceived stress levels. College students and professional nurses are both susceptible to having high stress levels. Mindfulness activities have been shown to lower stress levels. Undergraduate, prelicensure nursing students participated in this project determining the effects of guided meditations and a stress management class on perceived stress levels in a quantitative, pre- and postinterventional study. Participants in the project completed a stress management class and 18 guided meditation sessions in an undergraduate classroom setting. The researcher used the Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10) …

Engaging Students In The Virtual Classroom: A Mixed-Methods Study Of Teacher Leaders Creating Connections Through Virtual Learning Communities, Michaine Suzanne Ashley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The core problem that drove this study was high attrition rates and low student academic growth in virtual students when compared to their brick and mortar peers. To investigate this issue, the study focused on one issue related to the core problem: student engagement. The purpose of the study was to determine what pedagogical practices and instructional strategies were utilized by teachers in their virtual learning communities (VCLs) in order to engage students in the virtual classroom. This explanatory-sequential, mixed methods, single case study was conducted through the collection of archival data and through a teacher questionnaire and follow up …

Exploring North Texas Elementary Principals’ Viewpoints Regarding The Influence Of Culturally Responsive Teaching On School Climate And School Culture, Monica Latrice Tatum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Public schools in the United States have become more diverse due to immigration and the mass exodus of the White population to the suburbs. Growing demographic changes and a consistently White educational labor force raise concern regarding how schools address the needs of their diverse student populations. Much research exists concerning teachers’ implementation of culturally responsive teaching (CRT) practices. However, a void remains in the literature regarding the role of school leadership in this process. An understanding of culturally competent principals’ perspectives on CRT needs more attention to address how school leaders create safe and equitable environments for diverse …

Teachers’ Perceptions Regarding Dyslexia Professional Development Training For Addressing The Social-Emotional Needs Of Children With Dyslexia, Darlene Elizabeth Breaux

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Students with dyslexia simultaneously struggle with both literacy acquisition and poor selfesteem and undergo social-emotional learning difficulties. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore elementary general education teachers’ perceptions regarding the dyslexia training they received for addressing the social and emotional learning (SEL) needs of children with dyslexia. The conceptual framework guiding this study was the five core competencies for SEL developed by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. The researcher used a qualitative description research design involving semistructured interviews. The population included 10 elementary general education teachers who taught in first through fourth-grade classrooms …

Multi-Tiered Systems Of Support And School Leadership In High-Achieving Pennsylvania Schoolwide Title 1 Elementary Schools, Malinda Jane Mikesell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This explanatory case study illustrates how some Pennsylvania Schoolwide Title 1 elementary schools are thriving on state assessments while others are unable to achieve this success. The study was limited to this population of elementary schools to focus on how and why some schools with high percentages of students who receive free and reduced lunch are achieving excellent student achievement. First, the differences between Schoolwide Title 1 schools’ achievement on the Pennsylvania state assessments were categorized. Then Schoolwide Title 1 elementary schools with the highest percentages of students with low socioeconomic status (SES), who still achieved proficient school performance …

Navigating The Role Of Head Of School As Perceived By Female Heads Of National Christian School Association Schools, Jill C. Hartness

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current representation of women as heads of schools in U.S. independent schools is significantly less than that of men. With little research on independent female heads of schools, particularly in religious school communities, this qualitative study examined the perspectives of female heads of school from the National Christian School Association regarding perceptions and experiences in the leadership role within a conservative Christian school context. This study was framed through social role theory, muted group theory, authentic leadership theory, and emotional labor theory, and guided by one overarching research question: What has been the experience of a female head of …

Determining The Effectiveness Of A Peer Support Person In Individuals With Depression Symptoms, Donna K. Reeves

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This study’s aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of an existing peer support program as an adjunct treatment for patients with depression. This retrospective evaluation analyzed the total scores of 110 patients with depression on the PHQ-9 questionnaire at the initial assessment (Time 1), at 6-weeks (Time 2), and then at 12-weeks (Time 3). The participants were divided into two groups, those who enrolled in a peer support program (n = 55) and those without peer support (n = 55). PHQ-9 total scores for each time interval were compared for the two groups utilizing independent sample t-tests …

Urban School Leaders And Community Partners In Support Of Arts Education: A Narrative Study, Monica L. Elmore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of school leaders and community partners with arts education in three K-12 urban public school districts in Northern New Jersey that have implemented and sustained arts education programs. This narrative study explored each participant's journey, how the arts first came into their lives, and what they have done in their careers to promote arts education in urban schools. Commonalities include advocacy, funding, exposure, learning equality, value, and emotion. The participants in this study shed light on their successes and challenges with advocacy. They also shared their leadership path and the …

Original Free Will Baptist Clergy Role Stress: A Definition And Its Emotional Consequences, Dustin R. Bannister

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The role of a clergyperson is often understood as one that creates a connection between the human and the divine, faith and God. However, such a vast role is typically executed in specific ways, such as leading Bible studies, visiting the sick, leading worship, and the act of preaching. At times, such a role demands even more nuanced behaviors based upon the context, population, and time. As this study posited, the problem is that such a multiplicity of clergy expectations inevitably create role stress, as understood through the constructs of role ambiguity and role conflict. In particular, how one might …

Statutory Immunity For Educators: An Analysis Of Decisions By The Texas Commissioner Of Education And Texas Appellate Courts After House Bill 4, Melissa Ballou Kates

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative legal study explored statutory immunity protection provided to Texas educators under the Texas Education Code §22.0511 and §22.0512. The Texas legislature enacted the statutory immunity provisions as part of House Bill 4 and tort reform in 2003. Researchers have called for more balance when providing immunity protections for educators. The researcher limited the study to Texas Commissioner of Education decisions and Texas appellate court cases. The study utilized a legal framework to determine under what circumstances the rulings of statutory immunity shields educators from liability. The findings in this study provide evidence that Texas educators have more immunity …

Master Teacher Perceptions On The Impact Mentoring Programs Have On Teacher Retention, Rose Michelle Zuniga

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problem investigated in this phenomenological study was the high teacher attrition in K-12 schools, which has caused a negative impact on classroom performance, and it has also demonstrated the inability to retain effective teachers. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand master teachers’ perceptions of the impact the Project RISE Mentoring Program has on retaining beginning teachers. The self-determination theory was used as the theoretical framework for this study. The research design and methods for this phenomenological study utilized an in-depth semistructured interview protocol to collect qualitative data from participants. Twelve master teachers from two Rio Grande …

Assessing The Effectiveness Of Pull-Out Programs For Struggling Readers In Grades K-8, Gloria Agumagu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Gloria Agumagu

Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Mentor: Gibbs Kanyongo, Ph.D.

Reading is one of the most important fundamental skills for academic success, yet the teaching of reading is very complex. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of pull-out reading interventions for struggling readers in grades K-8. The objective was to determine if there would be statistically significant mean differences between participants’ performance in reading following interventions. In a sample of immigrant “at-risk” students, n = 253 drawn from Catholic schools in the District of Columbia, dependent sample t tests revealed significant effects of pull-out interventions. …

A Phenomenological Investigation Of African American Male Veterans’ Experience Of Social Connection, Brian Coleman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research project examines the experience of African American male veterans’ social connections with other veterans. Social connection has been found to be a key factor in promoting positive health outcomes and overall well-being. In addition, social connection involves not only a sense of being connected to others but can also include feelings of exclusion. Given the increasing health disparities of between African American and White men, and of our nation’s veteran population, greater attention to factors that promote well-being are essential. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the lived experiences of social connection of African American …

Communication In The Ruins: Walker Percy And The Art Of Symbolic Mediation, Justin Bonanno

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation proposes to explore the mediating function of the symbol through the work of Walker Percy. In the first chapter, I provide the necessary background for undertaking this project. First, I situate Percy in his historical moment and review key events in his life that helped to shape his philosophy of communication. Second, I sketch out some of the primary coordinates in Percy’s thought. Percy’s hermeneutic of the self requires an understanding of the difference between sign and symbol, dyadic and triadic events, environment and world, and immanence and transcendence. Third, I review some of the key intersections with …

Multiphysics Computational Model Of Fluid Flow And Mass Transport In Aneurysm, Tanja Cupac

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The abdominal aortic aneurysm is progressive, asymptomatic, and can eventually lead to rupture which is a catastrophic event leading to massive internal bleeding and possibly death. AAA cases have been characterized by the development of an intraluminal thrombus (ILT). The ILT correlates with the progression of hypoxia in the arterial wall. The extent that ILT presence reduces oxygen flux to the wall has not been quantified and there is rather a poor understanding of key parameters that can affect thrombus-mediated oxygen transport in AAA. The purpose of this study is to address this gap and to assess the effects of …

Impact Of Person-Environment-Occupation Model Training On Teacher Transition Problem-Solving, Taylor Dreste

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, there is currently no universal framework or model that is applied to the transition planning process for students with disabilities, other than the transition mandates set forth by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004). This often results in educators picking transition plan goals and interventions from a “bank”, without taking into account the “whole child.” The following study examines the effect of the Person-Environment-Occupation (PEO) model, pioneered by Law et al. (1996), on a teacher’s ability to consider personal, environmental, and occupational variables when planning for post-secondary employment for students with disabilities. Furthermore, this …

The Ontology Of Not-Being In Aristotle And His Predecessors, Abraham Jacob Greenstine

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Aristotle is not thought to have a theory of not-being, but, in this project, I show that there are several distinct ways of not-being established in his writings. As being is said according to what is in-itself, what is accidentally, what is true, and what is actualized, so not-being is determined as the privative, the false, or potentiality. In each of these cases, I articulate what it means that it is a way of not-being, and how it is also a way of being. Aristotle’s theory is put in contrast to his predecessors, especially Parmenides and Plato, whose ontologies are …

From Case Study As Symptom To Case Study As Sinthome: Engaging Lacan And Irigaray On "Thinking In Cases" As Psychoanalytic Pedagogy, Erica Freeman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation accomplishes two goals. First, this dissertation articulates a Lacanian account of the epistemological and historical presuppositions of the psychoanalytic case study genre, while engaging reflexively with extant Foucauldian scholarship on this genre as well as feminist psychoanalyst Luce Irigaray’s criticisms of Lacan. Irigaray’s critique is engaged in order to tarry with its implications for a Lacanian approach to the psychoanalytic case study genre. Second, this dissertation critically examines the significance of Lacan’s (re)reading, in Seminar V, of Joan Riviere’s (1929) “Womanliness as Masquerade” in the midst of his oral teachings on the psychoanalytic concepts of castration and …

Afrosofia: Knowledge And Methode Chez Cheikh Anta Diop, Francois Kodena

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Thinkers generally treat the concept of “philosophy” as a transparent term, defining it as the love of wisdom. However, a quick look at etymological dictionaries and Greek philosophers like Plato or Aristotle leads us nowhere. In other words, we are faced with a semantic conundrum. The verdict is discomforting: “philosophy” is not a Greek concept, and its etymology remains unknown.

This dissertation attempts to decipher that mystery. It leads us to the Afrikan terrain under the guidance of Cheikh Anta Diop and the Beti Mvett through a direct trans-disciplinarian (cultural, monogenetic, historical, linguistic, etc.) Afrosofian methodology.

Ultimately, the Beti So …

The Banality Of The Social: A Philosophy Of Communication Of Social Media Influencer Marketing, Kati Sudnick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project engages in a philosophy of communication approach in order to understand the role of social media influencer marketing within a historical moment defined via Hannah Arendt’s understanding of the social. Social media influencer marketing emerges as a new form of celebrity endorsement in which those finding fame on the Internet engage in word-of-mouth marketing for brands and organizations on their own personal social media pages, blurring the line between organic and sponsored content. According to Arnett (2010), philosophy of communication acts as a background road map for understanding foreground public action. Utilizing a myriad of metaphorical coordinates as …

Evaluating The Biological Effects And Safety Of Exposure To Low, Putatively Safe Concentrations Of The Common Pesticide Chlorpyrifos Using An Anuran Model, Sara Mcclelland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the US, over 1.1 billion pounds of pesticides are applied annually. Unfortunately, pesticides contaminate natural habitats affecting animal health. Chlorpyrifos (CPF) is an organophosphorous insecticide that contaminates surface waters. Few studies have assessed the impacts of CPF at low, ecologically realistic doses. I aimed to test the effects of low dose CPF exposures on biological parameters including body morphology, hormone levels, and brain development in Northern Leopard Frogs (Lithobates pipiens), a common vertebrate model. To determine if CPF exposure has direct impacts or indirectly impacts animals through the disruption of the food web, I examined CPF exposure …

The Effect Of Teacher-Child Interaction Training On Children Who Are Exhibiting Disruptive Behaviors Within The Classroom Setting, Jaclynn Susan Stankus

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teacher-Child Interaction Training (TCIT) is an adaption of the evidenced-based treatment of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT). The TCIT intervention is used with students, typically in a preschool setting, who are exhibiting disruptive behaviors within the classroom. Teacher-Child Interaction Training improves the teacher-child relationship, while also training teachers to use effective and consistent consequence strategies. The large research base behind PCIT and the growing empirical base for TCIT provides evidence that this model would be an effective early intervention treatment for young children exhibiting disruptive behaviors in their school settings.

The success of Teacher-Child Interaction Training (TCIT) with the general preschool …

Using Functional Communication Training To Reduce Self-Injurious Behavior For Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Maryam N. Alakhzami

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of functional communication training (FCT) on self-injurious behavior (SIB) of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). FCT was utilized and demand fading procedures were added to the original method. The use of FCT to address SIB maintained by negative reinforcement exhibited by children with ASD is supported by an emerging trend of behavioral research. FCT replaces SIB with a new functional communicative response (FCR) that serves the same function as SIB. However, there is a lack of evidence on how to sustain treatment gains obtained after treatment is discontinued. Thus, …

The Role Of Boredom, Loneliness, And Technology Use As Predictors Of Sexual Responsibility Among Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Natalie Drozda

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the predictors of sexual responsibilities (i.e., sex positivity and sexual health as well as sexual risk responsibility) for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. The predictors examined included boredom, loneliness, online risk behavior, intent to use dating apps/websites for casual sex, and intent to use dating apps/websites for romance. Gender differences in sexual responsibility subscales were also explored. ANOVAS yielded women with autism exhibited more sexual responsibility on both subscales than men. Multiple regression analyses were used to determine significant predictors of Sex Positivity and Sexual Health as well as Sexual Risk Responsibility …

Aphasia Friendly Medication Instructions: Effects On Comprehension In Persons With And Without Aphasia, Anna Saylor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Accessible health information supports people to understand and manage chronic medical conditions and is frequently presented via text. Comprehension of written health information becomes more difficult for people with language impairments, such as aphasia. Nine people with aphasia (PWA) and nine people without aphasia (PWoA), participated in this study. Each participant reviewed two unmodified medication instructions and two modified medication instructions using aphasia-friendly principles, then answered eight multiple choice questions and provided their preferences. Results showed that PWA demonstrated improved comprehension given modifications, but PWoA’s comprehension did not improve with modifications. Group comparison in the modified condition demonstrated that PWoA …

Listening To The Voices Of International Undergraduates Regarding Their Perceptions Of Engagement And Their Strategies To Achieve Academic Success, Gulcan Tokluoglu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While international students greatly influence globalization with their diverse cultural backgrounds, they often encounter issues when adapting to a new academic, social, and cultural setting. The goal of this research question was twofold in nature in that it sought to not only explore the adjustment experiences of participants but also be able to see what resources and practices were found helpful and needed to be expanded upon in order to provide ways of redressing inequitable practices and contributing to pedagogical change to promote engagement and success of international undergraduate students. A thorough analysis of in-depth interviews considered both upstream and …

The Dialectic Of Naturgeist In Hegel’S Anthropology: Soul, World, And Bodiliness, Jiho Oh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary concern of the “Anthropology” section in Hegel’s Encyclopedia of 1830 is the relationship between soul and body: how the soul gains an immediate, bodily existence through embodiment, why and how this immediate mode of the soul’s bodily existence is precarious, and how the soul becomes second nature by overcoming the immediate, bodily existence through habit, more precisely. Importantly, the “Anthropology” is the place in Hegel’s Encyclopedia system where the Philosophy of Nature ends, and the Philosophy of Spirit begins. The thematization of the soul-body relationship in the “Anthropology” is thus essentially framed by a broader, systematic problem concerning …

A Bioethical Paradigm For Enhanced, Post Or Transhumans In Medicine And Biological Research, Roderick Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation the question addressed is the ethical protocol that should be used when enhanced, post or transhumans present themselves as patients to hospitals, or as subjects for scientific research. With the advent of the birth of four children who were genetically engineered in China to be resistant to HIV, I contend that transhumans are already here, and the prevailing Western paradigm of principlism, while good, is not adequate to the task. I explore the basic religious argument that can be used against or in favor of what I call human-directed human evolution. I show how the fears of …