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Pretreatment Client Characteristics And Treatment Retention In An Intensive Outpatient Substance Abuse Treatment Program, Shauna Elizabeth Fuller

Dissertations (1934 -)

The effectiveness and efficacy of substance abuse treatment is well established. At the same time, clients often prematurely drop out of substance abuse treatment, negatively impacting their chances of achieving favorable outcomes. Investigating variables associated with treatment retention has become increasingly important considering one of the most robust findings in substance abuse treatment outcome research is the positive relationship between the amount of time spent in treatment and post-treatment outcomes (e.g., decreased drug/alcohol use, decreased criminal activity, improved social functioning). This study examined the relationship between pre-treatment client characteristics and treatment drop-out among 273 adults who were admitted to intensive …

Is A School Based Educational Program Effective In Changing Knowledge Regarding The Prevention Of Shaken Baby Syndrome?, Margaret Kay Stelzel

Dissertations (1934 -)

Shaken baby syndrome (SBS) involves physiological and neuropsychological sequelae secondary to parental or caregiver handling of an infant or young child (Goldberg & Goldberg, 2002). According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (APA) (2001), non-accidental head injuries are the leading cause of traumatic death and cause of child abuse fatalities. The prognosis is extremely poor with a death rate of 26-36% and up to 78% of the survivors suffer long-term disability (Barlow & Minns, 2000). According to Prevent Violence Against Children Act, 2005 Wisconsin Act 165; SECTION 7.121.02(1)(L)6 educational SBS requirements are mandated, effective school year 2007-2008. Two instrument development …

"Ordinary Talents And Extraordinary Perseverance": The Life Of Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton, David Bruce

Dissertations (1934 -)

Born into a gentry family with roots in the Society of Friends, the evangelical social conscience of Thomas Fowell Buxton (1786-1845) was developed as he operated a brewery in Spitalfields, perhaps London's poorest parish. He was instrumental in raising funds for poor relief and establishing soup and bread kitchens there during the winter of 1816-1817. His interest and research on penal discipline brought him national prominence and led to a parliamentary seat which he held for nearly two decades. Buxton's association with noted activist William Wilberforce (1759-1833) led to his own involvement in the anti-slavery movement, a cause he fiercely …

Client Characteristics And Treatment Retention In An Outpatient Drug-Free Chemical Dependency Program, Jessica A. Thull

Dissertations (1934 -)

Substance abuse and dependence have detrimental effects at both micro and macro societal levels. Even so, these disorders appear to be amenable to treatment and persons who receive treatment for such problems generally achieve positive outcomes. However, reported substance abuse treatment dropout rates have varied greatly and no consistent "treatment dropout" profile has been detected. This study aimed to describe the characteristics of clients entering an intensive outpatient chemical dependency treatment program and to examine how these variables differed between clients who were retained in treatment to completion and clients who dropped out of treatment prematurely. Additionally, it explored whether …

The Primary Prevention Of Sexual Violence Against Adolescents In Racine County And The Community Readiness Model, Theresa A. Dewalt

Dissertations (1934 -)

Sexual violence affects tens of thousands of people annually in the United States. The majority of sexual assault victims are under the age of 18. Victims of sexual violence often experience severe, long-lasting ramifications, including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, interpersonal problems, suicidal ideation, self-harm behaviors, and eating disorders. As a result of these effects, it is imperative that communities provide effective primary prevention of sexual violence programs. However, it is challenging to effectively implement sexual violence primary prevention strategies for a variety of reasons. One challenge is because it is difficult to construct a prevention program that changes the …

Depression Among The Oneida: Case Studies Of The Interface Between Modern And Traditional, Mark R. Powless

Dissertations (1934 -)

Depression, defined by a EuroAmerican biomedical diagnostic criterion, using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition, Text Revision is prevalent among First Nations peoples. However, some studies suggest that the term depression may hold little heuristic value outside of its EuroAmerican conceptualization. This study utilized qualitative methods to understand how depressive symptoms are conceptualized and experienced by traditional Oneida people. A vignette was presented and in-depth interviews of seven traditional healers, culture and Oneida language experts were conducted to: (1) gain a basic understanding of traditional views of mental health, (2) acquire multiple conceptualizations of someone who presents …

Effects Of Individual Secularity, Institutional Secularity And Campus Activity Involvement On College Student Suicidal Ideation And Attempts, Christopher Daood

Dissertations (1934 -)

Using undergraduate data from a recent study on the Nature of College Student Suicidality, this paper explored the impact of campus activity involvement, individual secularity and institutional secularity as risk and/or protective factors for college student suicidal ideation and attempts. Results revealed that students who participated in at least one campus activity and students who affiliate with a Christian faith were less likely to seriously consider suicide in the last twelve months. Gender differences were found in the relationship between institutional secularity and serious consideration of suicide, with non-secular institutions serving as a protective factor for women, but not men. …

Beyond Stewardship: Toward An Agapeic Environmental Ethic, Christopher J. Vena

Dissertations (1934 -)

This dissertation is a work in theological anthropology and environmental philosophy. It seeks to provide a conceptual framework for a Christian environmental ethic rooted in love.

The heart of the crisis of ecological degradation is found in human attitudes and behaviors. In the late 1960's it was suggested that Christianity was a key source of the problem because it promoted the idea of human "dominion" over creation. This spurred a variety of responses designed to show that Christian faith was compatible with environmental care. A key theme emerging from this debate was the image of humans as Stewards of God's …

Watersheds Of Utah, R. Douglas Ramsey, Roger E. Banner, Ellie Leydsman Mcginty

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the United States Geological Survey (USGS), as part of a national effort, have generated watershed, or hydrologic, boundaries for the United States. Hydrologic boundaries define the aerial extent of surface water drainage to a point. Hydrologic units, through four levels, were created in the 1970s. Since the 1970s, the USGS developed a hierarchical hydrologic unit code (HUC) for the United States. The hierarchical system divides the country into 21 regions, 222 sub-regions, 352 basins, and 2,149 sub-basins. During the late 1970s, the NRCS initiated a national program to divide the sub-basins into …

Measuring Marital Satisfaction: A Comparison Of The Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale And The Satisfaction With Married Life Scale, Peter J. Ward, Neil R. Lundberg, Ramon Zabriskie, Kristen Berrett

Faculty Publications

Marital satisfaction has been psychometrically measured using many different instruments not soundly based on theory. The Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS), consisting of 14 items, is commonly accepted by researchers and practitioners tomeasure marital satisfaction but was not specifically designed to measuremarital satisfaction. The Satisfaction with Married Life Scale (SWML), consisting of five items, is a short scale specifically targeted toward measuring marital satisfaction. An online sample collected from 1,187 couples throughout the United States was used to compare these instruments’ correlation (r¼.782), factor structures, reliability (SWML, a¼.958; RDAS, a¼.943), theoretical foundation, and validity. These instruments are on parity with …

Virginia Dental Journal (Vol. 86, No. 1, 2009)

Virginia Dental Journal

No abstract provided.

Virginia Dental Journal (Vol. 86, No. 4, 2009)

Virginia Dental Journal

No abstract provided.

Cooperative Federalism Post-Schaffer: The Burden Of Proof And Preemption In Special Education, Lara Gelbwasser Freed

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

Nontraditional Physical Activity Courses: Perceptions Of Community College Leaders, Long B. Nguyen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Innovative physical training practices and concepts such as yoga, Pilates, tai chi, cardio kickboxing, cardio spinning, and step aerobics have emerged to provide college students with alternative fitness exercises. However, due to unavailable research, community college administrative and curriculum leaders may perceive nontraditional physical activity courses as unrelated to the values of physical education. The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the perceptions of chairpersons/deans and faculty in physical education regarding nontraditional physical activity courses as compared to sport-related courses offered in community college physical education programs. Educational change theories of beliefs, values, and decision-making structures provided the …

Promoting Breast Cancer Screening Among Chinese American Women Through Young Children's Theatrical Performance, Angela Sun

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research has revealed that underutilization of breast cancer screening by ethnic minorities often is related to language difficulties and cultural values and beliefs about cancer. The problem addressed in this secondary data analysis was the late diagnosis of breast cancer in the Chinese immigrant community. The purpose of the quasi-experimental study was to test the efficacy of a theatrical preschool performance, guided by the diffusion of innovation theory, in educating Chinese American women about breast cancer detection. The research questions sought to determine whether the performance increased the participants' knowledge of breast cancer screening guidelines and whether country of origin, …

An Examination Of Cooperative Learning Models And Achievement In Middle And Secondary Level Social Studies, Jeffrey R. Niemi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a lack of understanding of different cooperative learning methods and their effects on student achievement in middle and secondary level social studies education. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to compare two different cooperative learning models in terms of their effects on student achievement in middle level social studies classes. The research question addressed in this study involved understanding the nature of the relationships between different cooperative learning models, gender, ability level and achievement in social studies students. The two cooperative learning models compared were the structured dyad model, which was effective in studies on reading achievement, …

Intuitive Decisions As A Means Of Preventing Medical Errors, Lynette M. Savage

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Medical errors occur despite precautionary measures. Limited research has focused on intuition in preventing medical errors. The problem addressed in this study explored the role of intuition by health care team members in preventing medical errors from reaching hospitalized patients. The research questions focused on the differences in response to medical errors by health care team members from 3 West Coast hospitals. The theoretical framework included human error, personality typing, skill acquisition, and a model of intuition. In this exploratory mixed method study 1,836 unusual occurrence reports submitted over 6 months were analyzed. Of the 710 health care team members …

Social Interest And Self -Efficacy Levels Among High School Volunteer Mentors And Their Non -Mentor Peers: A Comparison Study, Courtney Brewer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study examined social interest, social self-efficacy, and general self-efficacy levels of high school volunteer mentors and their nonmentor peers. School-based peer mentoring has become a popular method for providing support services to students. While several studies examining mentee outcomes appeared in the past decade, less research has examined characteristics of the high school mentors involved. The choice of variables was grounded in Bandura's Social Learning Theory and Adler's Individual Psychology. Thirty-seven mentors and 32 nonmentors from a suburban New York high school completed the Social Interest Scale and the Self-efficacy Scale. Mentor volunteers scored significantly higher in social self-efficacy …

Intrapersonal And Community-Related Influences Of Rural Adolescent Pregnancy: A Mixed-Method Approach, Kimberly Becknel Brodie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The majority of data on adolescent pregnancy pertains to urban communities, therefore, the individual and social influences associated with adolescent pregnancy in rural communities have not been extensively explored. The pregnancy rate among adolescent women aged 15 to 19 in rural Vance County, North Carolina, is 113.7 per 1,000, nearly twice the state average. This sequential mixed-method study used the social ecological model to evaluate the intrapersonal and community-related factors associated with adolescent pregnancy in this rural area. A quantitative survey assessed intrapersonal factors, namely sexual health knowledge, sex-related attitudes, and self-esteem in pregnant or parenting and nonpregnant or nonparenting …

Factors Related To Caring For The Elderly Among Three Generations Of Nurses, Joanna Fairley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Three generations of registered nurses make up the current nursing workforce: Baby boomers, Gen X, and Gen Y. Each generation brings its own values, behaviors, and beliefs to the workplace. The generational diversity among nurses needs to be assessed along with other factors, such as social values of the elderly, anxiety toward aging, and practice settings, to examine how each factor impacts registered nurses' attitudes toward caring for the elderly. An exploration of these factors is significant to nurse leaders, since nurses have been known to display negative attitudes toward the elderly. The theoretical foundation for this study was based …

Supreme Court As Interstitial Actor: Justice Ginsburg's Eclectic Approach To Statutory Interpretation Symposium: The Jurisprudence Of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg: A Discussion Of Fifteen Years On The U.S. Supreme Court, James J. Brudney

Faculty Scholarship

The Supreme Court is in the midst of an extended debate regarding the proper approach to construing federal statutes. A number of Justices have engaged in heated dialogue addressing the pros and cons of textualism or intentionalism, as well as the virtues and limitations of Chevron deference. Although Justice Ginsburg has not participated in these judicial exchanges, she has adopted her own approach to the challenge of interpreting federal statutes. This Article explores Ginsburg’s approach by focusing on four opinions that construe federal criminal laws and three that interpret labor relations and anti-discrimination laws. The Article’s central thesis is that …

Transition To Marriage, Tara L. Cornelius, Kieran T. Sullivan

Psychology

One of the most sign ificant psychosocial adjustments in adulthood is the transition to marriage. Although most men and women in the United States will marry at some point in their lives and most look forward to this event with anticipation and excitement, the transition to marriage also involves adaptation to a variety of tasks that may fundamentally alter spouses' view of themselves and their alliances.

Learning Through Nature: Mount Holyoke Environmental Research And Education Center, Sari M. Lipnick

Architecture Theses and Projects

I plan on doing this by creating an area located along a river or body of water that people will be able to interact and learn from its ecosystem and wildlife. I would like this to be a space that allows for the public to come and learn either indoors or outdoors with a variety of tools. By creating two defined areas functioning as elementary learning and university learning it would allow the variety of participants to come into the space and even interact with each other. One goal of mine would be to explore this interaction and control it, …

Newport Aquarium Oceanic Research And Discovery Center: To Further Our Knowledge Of The Ocean, Steven R. Toohey

Architecture Theses and Projects

This project is to design an Aquarium building both for the public and for researchers. There will be connections to the ocean visibly for the public and physically by docks and piers for the researchers. The building needs to tie into the landscape visually and will be using as many sustainable techniques as possible to support the building. A building that teaches how to save and preserve this planet should help the cause by creating its own power.

Center For The Creation And Performance Of The Arts, Dennis P. Mcgowan

Architecture Theses and Projects

The design is geared towards experience and interaction both in and outside the building, as well as the interaction with the city. The Project creates a place that wants to give back to the community. If the building and space is popular, it will attract people and make them want to become a part of the environment. For instance, after the center is constructed companies and businesses would be attracted to be part of the neighborhood because of the energy and activity that is generated by the building.

Re-Conceptualizing Performance And Event In The Public Realm: A Multicultural Funeral Home, Ashley Rodrigues

Architecture Theses and Projects

Architecture is about space and space supports place and event. When someone spends time in a building for the first time it is not the architectural details of the edifi ce that will be branded in their mind; it is often the event that took place there, and the activities that they participated in that one will remember. It is the responsibility of the architect to foresee the events that will take place over the seasons and architecturally plan for such experiences. To be an architecture of this moment architecture must continually reinvent existing rituals, typologies, and tectonics through a …

The Role Of Scholarship Of Teaching In Faculty Development: Exploring An Inquiry-Based Model, Pamela Adams

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

This paper describes a study in which professors explored and refined their perspectives about pedagogy and university teaching. Results show that collaborative, inquiry-based faculty development influenced their growth as effective educators. More frequent feedback from students and colleagues was seen as a major factor in helping professors improve, while a sustained focus on professional inquiry was seen to contribute to professors’ deeper understanding of the intricacies and complexities of effective university teaching.

Academic Skill Development - Inquiry Seminars Can Make A Difference: Evidence From A Quasi-Experimental Study, Christopher Justice, Wayne Warry, James Rice

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

This paper examines whether a single first-year inquiry-based seminar can have a lasting impact on students’ academic skills. Fifty-four Inquiry students and 71 comparable students participated in three performance tests: a research skills exercise; an evaluation of oral presentation ability; and a test of critical reasoning and teamwork skills. In addition, participants completed a questionnaire focusing on learning approaches and experiences. The study demonstrates the feasibility of measuring long-term effects of relatively small educational interventions. Findings indicate that although universities may not be developing the skills they assume, a single first-year inquiry seminar can have far reaching effects on academic …

Learning From Their Own Learning: How Metacognitive And Meta-Affective Reflections Enhance Learning In Race-Related Courses, Nancy L. Chick, Terri Karis, Cyndi Kernahan

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

This interdisciplinary project examined how students think and feel about their learning in race-related diversity courses. Students in four classes (literature, psychology, geography) reflected on cognitive and affective dimensions of their own and their classmates’ learning. The Color Blind Racial Attitudes Scales (CoBRAS) confirmed qualitative analyses of learning patterns in three of the classes that resulted in moving from lack of awareness about racism to increased understanding and in the fourth class that lacked this movement. Findings include what helped students learn, cognitive and affective obstacles to learning, and the benefit of exposing students to multiple perspectives, empathy-enhancing activities, and …

Evaluation Of Learning Style For First Year Medical Students, Mary Johnson

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

BACKGROUND. Many studies have documented the correlation of learning style and academic success for medical students. However, few have investigated the intersection of academic preparedness and students’ preference for information processing. This study tested the hypothesis that learning style preference differs among medical students grouped by admission status. It also analyzed markers of academic success and their correlation with various learning styles. METHODS. First year students from six entering classes at one medical school regional campus were grouped into regular and alternate admission pools. All students completed two types of learning style questionnaire as a part of self-awareness training. RESULTS. …