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Kujdesi Infermieror Për Fëmijet Me Autizëm Dhe Qasja E Infermierit Në Menaxhimin E Barnave, Dia Balidemaj

Theses and Dissertations

Diagnostikimi i fëmijës me autizëm është një përvojë mjaft e rëndë si për prindërit ashtu edhe për familjen në tërsi. Qëllimi i këti hulumtimi ishte eksplorimi i kushteve, njohja me punën që bëjnë puntorët shëndetsor dhe menaxhimin e terapisë që ata kryejnë brenda një shoqate të autizmit. Përkundrejt sfidave dhe përvojave të rënda që prindërit dhe puntorët shëndetsor ballafaqohen përgjat punes me këta fëmijë, perdorimi i planeve adekuate për punen e kujdesit për këta fëmijë është një ndihmes shumë e madhe në arritjen e objektivave të cilat lidhen me arsimimin dhe integrimin social të tyre.

Një qëllimi tjetër i këtij …

Deep Neural Network Based Iterative Self-Taught Learning On Text Mining, Xiangwen Liu

Theses and Dissertations

[Motivation] Machine learning and deep learning models is the main methodology for discovering hidden knowledge of data. Data plays a significant role in the training process. However, lack of data especially labeled data is precious due to accessibility and high cost. How to use the abundant unlabeled data to enhance the downstream learning process on labeled data is an urgent task in machine learning and pattern recognition. [Methods] An STL (Self-taught learning) model is proposed in this dissertation, which can successfully learn features from downloaded unlabeled text and enhance the downstream tasks on labeled text. In addition, DLI-IT (Drug labeling …

We Can Get There: Understanding The High School Experience Of Latin@S In A Large Suburban School District, Octavio Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

Success in school is something that every student tries and accomplishes in different ways, but this is not a simple matter of just demonstrating academic success. Students may have the best grades, but if they do not master the “college student” (Collier, Morgan, 2004) role, many students may not succeed. When students master this role, it will help them understand the different expectations professors may have and then will be able to apply their academic skills effectively and help them meet these expectations. This is something that many students know and understand, and this information is not passed on to …

Intraspecific And Interspecific Interactions Between Two Species Of North American Vulture At Feeding Sites., Dixie Claire Grammer

Theses and Dissertations

Vultures are a necessity to the natural world. These elite scavengers have the ability to eliminate disease, bacteria, and other harmful pathogens from the environment by simply eating infected carcasses. There are several species of vulture that are threatened with extinction due to a number of reasons, human connotation being one of them. These birds are often persecuted because of their appearance and also because of damage that they have caused. Although at times they may be considered nuisance animals, their need in their environment greatly outweighs the problems they sometimes cause. Research is a way to educate the public …

The Comparison Of Live Therapist Delivered Music To Original Artist Recording Interventions On Reminiscing Responses In Adults With Alzheimer's, Rajahna Desiree Schneekloth

Theses and Dissertations

Background: As the growing number of older adults diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease is resort to living in residential care facilities, this population requires purposeful activities in which they can improve and maintain their quality of life. Studies have shown that music therapy positively influences older adults in typical settings such as hospice or other residential care facilities, by providing a source of investigation in to the reminiscing aspect of their memory.

Purpose: This study targets the qualitative and quantitative values of reminiscing responses by comparing the data received from a non-musical baseline response, an original artist recorded musical response, and …

Hiv Care Location: An Evaluation Of Single Versus Multi Facility Utilization Of Hiv/Aids Care Services And Patient Health Outcomes And Clinical Indicators In South Carolina, Melanie Gwynn

Theses and Dissertations

Background: On the HIV/AIDS care continuum, the “retention in care” metric does not distinguish between single-facility (SF) or multi-clinic utilization (MC), also described as HIV care location (or type). SF utilization is vital as it has been linked optimal clinical outcomes among People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH). Published research detailing the prevalence of HIV care type and its association with health outcomes/clinical indicators, has been studied only in limited urban settings. Additionally, coinfections such as sexually transmitted infections (STIs), have yet to be evaluated as potential predictive factors for HIV care type.

Methods: A cross-sectional design was used …

Emerging Populations: An Analysis Of Twenty-First Century Caribbean Short Stories, Jeremy Patterson

Theses and Dissertations

The Caribbean has always been a contested space, a space difficult to define, and the literary genre of the short story has always been difficult to define as well. As a region and as a genre, what they share is less prestige, and less development, than other regions and genres. This dissertation brings both of these elements together in a comparative literature study of three twenty-first century Caribbean short story anthologies from the three major linguistic traditions of the Caribbean (English, French, and Spanish). The distinguishing characteristic of these short stories, and the overarching framework for this study, is that …

Applying The Health Action Process Approach (Hapa) In Program Evaluation Of A Theory-Based Parental Hiv Disclosure Intervention Among Parents Living With Hiv (Plh) In China, Wendi Da

Theses and Dissertations

With prolonged lives thanks to antiretroviral therapy, parents living with HIV (PLH) face challenges regarding telling their HIV-positive status to children (i.e., parental HIV disclosure). With aims to assist PLH in making a well-planned and developmentally appropriate HIV disclosure to their uninfected children, a theory-driven intervention was conducted among 791 PLH with children aged between 6-15 years in Guangxi, China.

Guided by the stage model of the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA), three critical disclosure stages were defined: 1) the pre-intention stage, in which people have not yet decided to disclose; 2) the intention stage, in which people have decided …

English Language Learners And Home-Language Text Use In Secondary English Language Arts Classrooms, Nancy Stubbs Shaw

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study dissertation provides an overview of a problem of practice: the disengagement of English language learners in the secondary English language arts classroom. The researcher would like to determine how secondary English language arts teachers effectively incorporate one well-researched, yet infrequently used intervention: the integration of home language texts to teach transferrable English language arts skills to English language learners. An overview of relevant literature about the topic is included and multiple research questions for further study are provided. An action research phenomenological study to address the research questions along with the findings from the implementation of …

The Conversational Dynamic In American Public Life, Hannah Goff Spicher

Theses and Dissertations

A confluence of factors has sparked a sustained, public preoccupation with conversation. Brewing since the fifteenth century and overtly public since the middle of the nineteenth century, the explosion of public models of conversation that emerged in the European and American rhetorical traditions is significant—without precedent—in the history of rhetoric. This interest in conversation is so pronounced as to penetrate not just public speaking practices, but subtler interpretations of law, philosophy, commerce, and government. I identify this as the conversational turn. The extent to which this saturation was truly conversational is the subject of much debate. However, the contours …

Family Engagement In Secondary Transition: Importance, Frequency, And Preparedness Identified By Transition Professionals, Gerda Kumpiene

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine transition professionals' perceptions of the importance of family engagement practices, how frequently specific family engagement practices are implemented, and the perceived level of preparation to implement these practices. The survey instrument was created for the purpose of this study, based on the extant literature review related to the specific family engagement practices that transition professionals implement in their work. A total of 237 transition specialists from 81 South Carolina school districts and 24 South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department local offices participated in the study. To identify the underlying structure of the specific …

The Quest To Improve Literacy Achievement: A Teacher-Developed Literacy Unit Incorporating A Hybrid-Instructional Approach, Dina L. Crislip

Theses and Dissertations

This Dissertation in Practice (DiP) utilizes action research methods to answer a research question that focuses on teachers being empowered to make personal choices when delivering best practices to positively impact student achievement within PAWS Elementary School. Chapter One provides the rationale behind the origin of the presented research, in which the Problem of Practice poses the question of how personal decision-making by teachers is an integral attribute to the success and achievement of all learners within the public-school setting. This acknowledgment of the problem of practice was the impetus to the proposed research question: How does the teacher's personal …

Promoting Self-Reflection Of Foreign Language Teachers Through Professional Development: An Action Research Dissertation, Hanan Khaled

Theses and Dissertations

This explanatory mixed-method action research describes how a social constructivist professional development program impacts self-reflection of foreign language teachers at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC). The problem is that traditional professional development for foreign language teachers does not improve self-reflection. Despite their individual differences and qualifications, most teachers receive traditional in-service professional development (Darling-Hammond, Hyler, Gardner, & Espinoza, 2017) on a specific topic and have no time to reflect on their existing practices, newly presented concepts, or students' responses to instruction. The effectiveness of such professional development is questionable (Darling-Hammond, Wei, Andree, Richardson, & Orphanos, 2009; Penuel, …

Determining Support Needed For Implementation Of The Balanced Literacy Framework In High School English Classrooms, Emily Kimpton

Theses and Dissertations

This study used Action Research methods to explore how an English language arts coordinator housed at the district office could employ an administrative model of coaching. The purpose of this study was to discover what a coaching model of administrative support reveals about high school English teachers' beliefs and practices and what support teachers needed in order to implement a balanced literacy framework of instruction. Teachers engaged in this study over the course of one semester. Semesters in this context encompass an entire course of English literature. Cycles of coaching were initiated that began with a pre-conference followed by observation, …

Developing Students' Sense Of Accomplishment Through Student Choice: Uncovering An Emerging Framework For The Development Of Intrinsic Motivation To Learn, Lauren Ashley Gehr

Theses and Dissertations

Teachers are encouraged to provide and equitable learning environment in their classrooms. This can be a struggle due to the emphasis on standardization. The purpose of this mixed methods, action research study was to examine the impact of providing students with choices for how to demonstrate their learning (SC) on their sense of accomplishment (SoA) in a high school English Language Arts course. The research question that guided this study was, "How does elevating student choice for demonstrating learning through Project Based Learning (PBL) impact students' sense of accomplishment in the secondary English classroom?" Using a Project Based Learning (PBL) …

Use Of Formative Assessment To Structure Flexible Differentiated Learning Groups: A Pathway To Equity, Deanna M. Westedt

Theses and Dissertations

The action research contained in this study seeks to identify the impact of formative assessment in the structuring of flexible differentiation in order to provided equity within the self-contained classroom for all intersectionalities amongst elementary students. Grounded in community of practice theory, the research explores structures within flexible differentiation and small group learning that provide students of varied and overlapping identities with access and equity within the four walls of the self-contained classroom. Additionally, the influence of flexible differentiation on the affective nature of students was explored. The teacher-researcher utilized a mixed-methods approach in order to provide a holistic picture. …

Children See Race; Teachers Should Too: Challenging Bias, Stereotypes, And Prejudice Through Children's Literature, Alexandra J. Jenkins

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the impacts of antibias culturally responsive literature on kindergarten children and teachers through qualitative action research conducted in one classroom over the course of twelve weeks. It examines how young children in this kindergarten classroom use what they have learned from and about antibias culturally responsive literature in their daily play, writing, conversations, and interactions. I clarify the process through which kindergarteners transform in relation to the understanding of their and others' cultures. In the research, two types of strategies were used: (1) critical research and (2) narrative inquiry. Data was collected from whole group discussions set …

Two Studies Conceptualizing Physical Literacy For Assessment Of High School Students In The United States, Chelsee Shortt

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: Toward the advancement of physical literacy (PL) in the United States, the purpose of this dissertation was to operationalize the construct and work toward a foundational framework to which PL can be assessed. The purpose of Study 1 was to develop an operational conceptualization of PL via a modified Delphi approach. The purpose of Study 2 was to expand upon the findings from Study 1 by exploring adolescents' perceptions of PL using repertory grid analysis (RGA).

Methods: Study 1 used a sequential, mixed methods design. Participants (N=22) were national and international PL academics with peer-reviewed publications on PL or …

The Cross-Validation Of The Classification Accuracy Of A Dynamic Assessment Of Narrative Language For School-Age Children With And Without Language Disorder, Kallie Dawn Clark

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: This study examined how well a dynamic assessment of narrative language accurately identified kindergarten through sixth grade students with and without language disorder. Method: The participants included 110 school-age children from Utah and Colorado who were administered a narrative-based dynamic assessment of language that entailed a pretest, a teaching phase, an examiner rating of the child's ability to learn language (modifiability), and a posttest. Results: The dynamic assessment investigated in this study demonstrated good to excellent levels of sensitivity and specificity. The results of this study also determined that, in concurrence with previous dynamic assessment research, posttest and modifiability …

The Rohingya: Ethnic Nationalism, Domestic Diversionary Targets, And Burmese Post-Colonial Nation Building, Ibrahim Abd-El-Barr

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the question of whether recurring episodes of violence, forced displacement, and other forms of repression against the ethno-religious sub-nationalist identity group, the Rohingya, across Burma's (Myanmar) modern history, are rooted in the implications of post-colonial nation-building or represent independent and self-contained incidents of communal/ethnic violence. The sub-question of whether the modern construct of the Burmese state accurately fits the description of a modern nation-state or whether other paradigms or ideal types better capture the development of the post-colonial Burmese state, is also explored. By revisiting the main events/national framework which have amounted to the Rohingya's exclusion from …

From Weak Form Towards Sustainability, Arxhenda Lipovica

Theses and Dissertations

When talking about new architectural preferences, there is one key term to take into consideration: sustainable building. Understanding the dire conditions, the earth is facing, architects worldwide are focusing on applying new technologies to reach sustainability. Considering that Kosovo is taking the steps to international recognition, contemporary architecture will be an integral part of it. Even though, in Kosovo, countless buildings continue to appear without worrying about consequences. It is the place where everyone is an "Architect" as they continue to overbuild day by day stereotypes of buildings without a standard of living, by measuring the value of the architecture …

The Effect Of Perceived Corruption On Voter Turnout In Post-Communist Countries In The European Union: Evidence From The Life In Transition Survey Iii, Ivana Pancurakova

Theses and Dissertations

This paper measures the effect of perceived corruption on voting in post-communist countries in the EU using probit models, Dong and Lewbel’s special estimator, and two stage least squares models. Corruption has a significant and negative effect on voter turnout even when controlling for the endogeneity in the corruption variable.

You Belong Here: Residence Halls As Disparate Predictors Of Sophomore Year Persistence At Predominantly White Institutions, James Raymond Neville

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this study is to compare the influence of residence hall living on student persistence between white and nonwhite students at predominantly white institutions. The Beginning Postsecondary Students (BPS) 2012/2014 longitudinal study dataset was acquired from the National Center for Education Statistics. A logistic regression was run to determine the predictive value of residence on student persistence by census race group. The findings of this study reveal that residence halls are not accomplishing as much for Black and Latino students as they are for White students. The results of this study challenge PWIs to take additional steps to …

Contradictions Of Freedom In The Tempest And The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao, Menaka Serres

Theses and Dissertations

In William Shakespeare’s The Tempest (1610-1611) and Junot Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (2007) the character negotiate contradictions of freedom: the entitlements that justify violence as well as oppression on the one hand and rights that grant access to emancipation from violence and imposition on the other.

Serving Students With Moderate To Severe Disabilities: Perspectives Of Career And Technical Education Teachers In Mississippi, Patricia Kellie Fondren

Theses and Dissertations

Positive postsecondary outcomes have become a social issue as the gap between typical peers and students with disabilities grows for employment or postsecondary education. Using evidenced-based instruction strategies to create effective transition instruction has become a required and successful means of improving postsecondary outcomes for individuals with moderate to severe disabilities. The career and technical programs have been identified as an environment that currently implements evidence-based practices that have shown promise of improving instruction. However, participation is limited among individuals with moderate to severe disabilities in the career and technical programs. Through this study the researcher sought to understand how …

Three Sixth Grade Social Studies Teachers’ Beliefs, Knowledge, And Instructional Practices Of Disciplinary Literacy, Jennifer K. Sanders

Theses and Dissertations

During the fall 2017 and spring 2018 semesters, I investigated what 3 6th grade social studies teachers knew and believed about disciplinary literacy and how that knowledge and belief shaped their instructional practice. Descriptive case study design allowed me to investigate the 3 participants in order to develop a descriptive understanding and interpretation of the group. I collected the following data sources from each participant: a concept map illustrating ideas of literacy and social studies, 3 interviews, 4 observations, and teacher lesson plans and texts. I chose descriptive coding for the within-case analysis and pattern coding for the cross-case analysis. …

Displaced Consciousness And Historical Imprisonment In Pirandello’S Enrico Iv And Unamuno’S El Hermano Juan O El Mundo Es Teatro, Francesca Magario Wadlington

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this work is to explore how Luigi Pirandello’s Enrico IV (1922) and Miguel de Unamuno’s El hermano Juan o el mundo es teatro (1929) utilize metatheatrical strategies to create plays that constantly question the juxtaposition, and yet the fluidity, of reality and fiction. Through a similar existential search, which is guided by a Sartrean psychoanalytic approach, the protagonists endure a transformation that reveals contrasting results: Enrico remains entrapped in his theatrical portrayal of Henry IV. Conversely, Don Juan frees himself from societal restraints that had portrayed him as a trickster through centuries of literary tradition. In these …

On The Role Of Environment Assertions In Requirements Engineering And Testing, Surendra Chekuri

Theses and Dissertations

Software developers dedicate a major portion of their development effort towards testing and quality assurance (QA) activities, especially during and around the implementation phase. Nevertheless, we continue to see an alarmingly increasing trend in the cost and consequences of software failure. In an attempt to mitigate such loss and address software issues at a much earlier stage, researchers have recently emphasized on the successful coordination of requirements engineering and testing (RET). Jackson points out that requirements reside in the environment which is comprised of certain phenomena, also known as environment assertions, and a large number of software issues stem from …

Sourcing Bifaces From The Alexander Collection At Poverty Point (16wc5) Using Vnir (Visible/Near-Infrared Reflectance) And Ftir (Fourier Transform Infrared Reflectance) Spectroscopy, Simon P. Sherman Iii

Theses and Dissertations

Poverty Point is a monumental earthwork center dating to the Late Archaic Period (ca. 3700-3100 Cal BP). The site is well known for its diverse collection of foreign lithic materials indicative of a wide-ranging acquisition network. Among the extra-local items recovered from the site are lithic raw materials that were used for bifaces in the form of projectile points and/or knives (PP/Ks). Here, I determined the atomic and molecular composition of 847 bifaces from the Alexander Collection using Visible/Near-Infrared Reflectance (VNIR) and Fourier-Transform Infrared Reflectance (FTIR) spectroscopy. The combined wavelength spectra datasets were compared to a raw material database to …

Gender Differences In Stem Sense Of Belonging For Academically Advanced Middle School Students, Monica C. Meadows

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated academically advanced middle school students’ sense of belonging as it pertains to the STEM disciplines. The study examined the relationship between STEM sense of belonging, STEM class/peer climate, amount of STEM exposure, and the strength of identification with STEM. A quantitative research design was used to examine factors that influence STEM sense of belonging. The researcher utilized a survey research design with data collection via a web survey. This was accomplished through the use of a descriptive rating, Likert-type sense of belonging survey, modified from the Sense of Belonging to Math Scale (PSOBS) created by Rattan, Good, …