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An Analysis Of The Zone Of Proximal Development As A Practicable Learning Theory Of Organizational Culture In The Workplace, Patricia Ann Gonzalez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study analyzes and tests Lev Vygotsky's theory of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) as a practicable learning model of organizational culture in the workplace. The ZPD poses a possible clarifying theory of the individual internalization of organizational culture in the workplace that enhances current theories of organizational assimilation and learning. Qualitative methods were quantified to test this theory using five categories of organizational culture and a 4-stage model created by Roland Tharp and Ronald Gallimore presented in their book Rousing Minds to Life (1988) to organize a 30-question survey that was administered to a representative sample of employees …

Examination Of Investigative Interviewing Techniques For Use In Secondary Screening For Malintent, Allyson Judith Horgan

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

There has been a renewed focus on the development of innovative screening procedures and technologies since the September 11th attacks. While attention has been placed on the need for more effective screening methods, there has been a lack of research on screening for future intent, which is remarkable given its importance to national security (Granhag, 2010; Martin, Martin, & Coskren, 2007). The current project draws on previous research on deception detection and investigative interviewing, as well as recent research on false intent in order to investigate the utility of several interviewing methods in screening for intent. Participants (N = 144) …

Impulse Oscillometric Features And Parsimonious Respiratory Models Track Small Airway Function In Hispanic And Anglo Children, Erika Guadalupe Meraz Tena

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Asthma is an inflammatory condition of the peripheral (small) airways resulting in airway hyper-reactivity and, among other symptoms, airflow obstruction. It is the most prevalent chronic respiratory disease in children. Reliable and patient-friendly instruments and methods are required to help pulmonologists accurately detect asthma and Small Airway Impairment (SAI) with acceptable clinical accuracy, specificity and sensitivity. Impulse Oscillometry System (IOS) based on the Forced Oscillation Technique (FOT) has been successfully used to measure lung function in children with a high degree of sensitivity and specificity to SAI and Asthma. IOS is a patient-friendly lung function to measure the mechanical impedance …

Three Essays On Immigrant Entrepreneurs, Carole Louise Cangioni

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The association between entrepreneurial activity and economic growth appears to be robust: the source of half of job creation emanates from new ventures which, in addition, are a source of technical and market innovation as well as higher labor productivity (Gartner, Shaver, Carter, & Reynolds, 2004). Also, there is a growing percentage of ethnic entrepreneurship in immigrant receiving metropolitan areas, and marginal economic conditions, often experienced by immigrants, increase self-employment. According to the U.S. Census Bureau: "By 2010, Hispanics will be the largest minority group in the U.S with more than 20% of the nation's population" and "minorities, now roughly …

Inequality Aversion And Altruism In Bargaining Experiments: The Effect Of Gender, Carolina Del Pilar Cerda

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This paper examines gender-related inequality aversion, altruism and the effect of gender on decision-making using ultimatum and dictator experiments. A triple-anonymous design was incorporated into the experiments by excluding monetary payments in order to eliminate any aspect of social pressure that the experimenter may exert by exchanging money with the subjects. The absence of social pressure allows for observation of gender differences in economic behavior. Results show that there is a sharp difference between genders. Women are more likely to give larger amounts than men indicating that altruism does vary depending on gender. Also, inequality aversion appears to be more …

The Impact Of Training On Mentor And Student Teachers' Self Efficacy In Physical Education, Ana Lilia Cisneros

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Providing support from an experienced teacher through mentoring has been as one way to reform teaching and teacher education. To keep talented beginning teachers in the profession, more than 30 states have implemented some form of mentoring program for novice teacher assistance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of formal training on mentor and student teachers' self-efficacy in physical education. The study included eight mentors and seven student teachers in the experimental group receiving training. Three mentor and three student teachers were part of the control group and received no training. All results indicated the mentor …

Assessment And Evaluation Of Peripheral Neuropathy From Diabetic Mellitus Using Systems Analysis Approach, Oscar Alonso Espino

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Currently in America 1 out of every 10 residents suffers from diabetes, and this tendency is likely to grow up to "1 of every 3" by the year [6]. Diabetes exhibits several complications. In 2005, the lead cause of stroke and heart disease was diabetes, 68% of the cases [1]. In 2008, 44% of kidney failure was associated with diabetes [1]. 60 to 70 % of cases of diabetes have a mild to severe nervous system damage [1]. Diabetic patients who have developed peripheral neuropathy tend to also develop foot ulceration. In an advanced stage a foot ulcer can lead …

Is Silence Golden? Experiences Of Silence, Stigma And Cultural Violence Among Lgb People In El Paso, Tx., Elias Gonzalez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Stigma not only affects how one is treated within a society; it is also one of the factors influencing social identity and sexual behavior. LGB individuals, as part of a stigmatized group, form their sexual identities in a culture and society that is hostile to or ignorant of them. This project synthesizes 14 ethnographic interviews with LGB individuals in El Paso, TX. The interviews focus on the formative years of the individual's life on the U.S.-Mexico Border, namely their school years and early formation through family socialization. They also focus on LGBT individuals' perceptions of their community and the city …

Problematizing Executive Prerogative In Locke And Rousseau, Benjamin Joseph Gutierrez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The organization of this paper is composed of three main sections. The first section intensively analyzes the discourses of John Locke. Thoroughly combing through Locke's reasoning the concept six fundamental principles of executive prerogative are derived. This provides a basis for comparison and understanding.The second section investigates Jean-Jacques Rousseau's works as an alternative proposal to the static principles of Locke. In order to effectively gain insight on executive prerogative, the basis and purpose of proper governments must be thoroughly addressed. Through Rousseau's various works three tenets for proper governance are built. The factors that position Rousseau to advocate for executive …

Principal Differential Analysis With Covariates : A Simulation Study On The Effect Of The Smoothing Parameters, Indika Varuna Mallawaarachchi

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Principal Differential Analysis deals with functional data. The word functional data refers to a collection of curves that are independent and measured on a dense grid of time points in an interval. These time points can be equally or unequally spaced. A differential equation is believed capable of capturing the features of these n curves.

Ramsay(1996) first introduced Principal Differential Analysis (PDA) as an alternative to the Principal Component Analysis(PCA). PDA finds a linear differential equation that captures features of a collection of curves, in order to have a low dimensional approximation for functional data. PDA is based on the …

Exploring Organizational Culture And Leadership Styles In El Paso Nonprofit Organizations, Milena Murta

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study focuses on two non-profit organizations in the El Paso region to document the communication processes by which they maintain their culture across their units. The study also explores leadership styles, both what are they and how they are employed in these organizations. This study involves three research methods, including: content analysis of organizational documents, interviews with leaders, and ethnographic observation. The findings of this study suggest that managing non-profit organizations is a challenge but yet rewarding duty. Moreover, managers explained that mission management is facilitated through four major ways: through documents, through the delivery of services, through training …

Effect Of An Injury Prevention Training Program On Risk Factors Associated With Acl Injury, Daniel Medrano

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Increased involvement in women's sports has been met with a disproportionate incidence of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. The underlying cause of ACL injury is likely multi-factorial, with risk factors including deficits in lower extremity kinematics, kinetics, muscle activity, strength, stability, and sensitivity. Insight into risk factors has prompted several injury prevention programs. However, program outcomes have been mixed. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effect of specialized training on risk factors theorized to increase the incidence of ACL injury.

Fifty-six (28 control, 28 intervention) apparently healthy females volunteered to participate in this study. Training was …

Gender Differences In Food Habits, Beliefs, And Fast Food Consumption Among A Predominantly Hispanic College Student Population, Alma Xochitl Ortega Gomez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Fast food consumption in the United States (U.S.) has been increasing steadily during the last decades. This trend has been linked to the increased prevalence of overweight and obesity among the population (Barnard, 2010; Currie, Della Vigna, Moretti & Pathania, 2009). Several sociodemographic characteristics that have been associated with the likelihood of frequent fast food consumption include income, ethnicity, gender and age (Block, Scribner, DeSalvo, 2004; Bowman & Vinyard, 2004; Drewnoski & Darmon, 2005; Driskell et al., 2006; Morse & Diskell, 2009; Paeratakul et al., 2003). Most studies related to fast food consumption have been conducted in adult population, only …

Perceptions Of Disabilities Amongst The Tarahumara In Northern Mexico, Carolyn Raynor Trussell

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This research focuses on the perceptions of disability amongst the Tarahumara, known amongst themselves as the Rarámuri, in the Sierra Madre region of Northern Chihuahua. This population of individuals has typically lived in isolated areas in communities in the Sierra Madre where medical and specialized educational services were rare. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions, knowledge and beliefs related to disabilities, as well as the access and beliefs related to educational and medical services.

The study focused on the individual and the society to examine how bodily conceptions influence perceptions of others. The target group for …

Indentifying And Understanding User Preferences In Generic Planning Tools, Grisel Ventura

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Planning is an important cognitive work activity. To support this complex task, the development of planning tools is important to support people during decision-making and problem-solving tasks. Nowadays, a large number of manual and electronic tools support this complex activity; manual and electronic planning tools aid people in creating strategies for effective work performance. However, there is limited information on the design of generic planning tools people use for their activities, and why people choose to use the planning tool they do. Some examples of generic tools for planning are calendars, checklists, agendas, etc.

To answer this question, this research …

The Effect Of Yoga Practice On Glycemic Control Of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients, Maricarmen Vizcaino

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of yoga practice on glycemic control of Type 2 diabetes mellitus patients by evaluating changes in physiological and psychological stress measures. Participants (n=10) were non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus patients free of complications derived from diabetes. The 6-week intervention consisted of structured yoga classes with a registered yoga teacher three times a week. Assessments were completed at baseline and post-intervention. Glycemic control parameters under investigation included fasting blood glucose (FBG), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and insulin sensitivity (QUICKI). Psychological stress was assessed with the perceived stress scale (PSS) and the State-Trait Anxiety …

Beyond Accomodations: Perceptions Of Students With Disabilities In A Hispanic Serving Institution, Neelam Agarwal

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed method study was to explore perceptions of students with disabilities in a predominantly Hispanic serving institution. Factors of transition from high school to college, campus involvement, engagement in student organizations and their perceptions of campus climate were investigated through both a survey with 104 participants and in-depth interviews with 11 participants. This study also explored how undergraduate students with disabilities perceive their academic success and what are influential factors that impact their college experiences. Data were analyzed and interpreted through Tinto Interactionalist Theory of Student Departure, a Social constructivist perspective, Attribution theory, Rendon's model of …

Building Kites, David Brian Anderson

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This collection of short stories focuses on the struggles of people living in the suburbs as they try to forge emotional connections against a backdrop of malaise and uncertainty.

An Investigation Of The Effect Of Repeated Testing And Extra Incentive On Neurocognitive Performance In Non-Concussed Adults, Edina Reka Bene

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Standardized neurocognitive testing is a commonly used assessment method to diagnose and manage sports-related concussion. This method involves testing athletes at preseason, and re-testing them if a concussion occurs. Athletes usually return to competition once they are symptom-free and their cognitive performance post concussion returns to their preseason cognitive performance. Although this approach in sports-related concussion management seems well-guided and clear-cut, there are a number of factors that can interfere with the accuracy of assessment. This study addressed three such factors: test-retest reliability, the effect of extra incentive on neurocognitive performance, and practice effects.

33 non-concussed UTEP collegiate students were …

A Conceptualization Of Treatment Stigma In Returning Veterans, Jason B. Flick

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The dissertation project combines three theoretical models that inform conceptualizations of the origins, manifestations, and consequences of stigma: the Social Psychological model (SPM), the Sociological model (SM), and the Cognitive-behavioral model (CBM). These models merge into a single, integrative lens, through which stigma can be examined on both cultural and individual levels. This lens is then applied to the cultural and individual manifestations of the stigma of seeking psychological treatment experienced by veterans who have served in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). Through this lens, an understanding of the inception, maintenance, and effects of this treatment …

First Elderly Client In Therapy: Factors That Influence Student Interest In Geropsychology, Cristina E. M. Filippelli

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

In the coming decades, the elderly population in United States (U.S) is expected to grow significantly (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1996). Consequently, the number of older individuals seeking mental health services will be greater than at any other time in the history of the U.S. The field of clinical psychology, however, is unable to meet the mental health needs of the current elderly population, and this gap is expected to widen in coming years. There is an ongoing discussion within the field of professional psychology as to how to train more clinicians to work with the elderly population (Gatz …

A Concept Mapping Needs Assessment Of Young Families With Parental Cancer, Richard P. Durant

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this research is to investigate the support needs of young families living with and beyond a parental diagnosis of cancer. The sample includes 56 participants comprised of 31 professional stakeholders and 25 patient stakeholders affiliated with the Charles R. Wood Cancer Center. It was hypothesized there would be differences in how the groups of stakeholders rated needs in terms of importance, satisfaction, and utilization. Differences in ratings are thought to be barriers to effective program development. While not a formal research hypothesis, it was anticipated other program development barriers germane to naturalistic clinical settings would emerge from …

Descending Into And Out Of The Maelstrom: Soma And The Survival Struggle, Rachel M. Urbano

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to highlight the ways “surviving therapists” adapt to the inner-spaces in which they are still affected by their traumas. Surviving therapists are defined as therapists who identify as having experienced a trauma caused by another human being while maintaining an observational stance in relation to their body and self-experience. Therapists are not immune to the lasting effects of trauma: they may experience somatic reactivity and painful affective states in working with trauma patients. As surviving therapists have experienced events they may unconsciously choose to keep out of awareness, they may rely on …

Teachers Perspectives: An Understanding Of Adhd In A Predominantly Hispanic School District, Heriberto Jesus Oronoz

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The current study examined problems that teachers encounter when trying to cope with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in the classroom, teachers' perceptions and beliefs about ADHD, as well as their ideas for how to improve services to children with ADHD. To do so, ten in- depth interviews were conducted with teachers from the Canutillo Independent School District in El Paso, TX regarding these topics. Findings reveal that teachers encounter difficulties defining ADHD, dealing with ADHD in the classroom, establishing the proper chain of command for diagnosing children, and with inadequate parental involvement. Further, the study found variability in teachers' …

The Role Of Perceptual Processes In The Use Of And Willingness To Use Professional Health Care Services, Luis Omar Rivera

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

To better address ethnic health disparities, it is imperative that we understand the psychological processes that shape people's use of and willingness to use professional health care services. The current research proposes and tests a model in which people's attentional orientation toward context discourages them from seeking professional health care services because (a) attentional orientation toward context encourages people to attribute symptoms of illness to external/environmental factors and (b) attributing symptoms of illness to external/environmental factors is associated with less use of professional health care services. The results of two studies show mixed support for the proposed model. Consistent with …

Speech-Language Pathologists' Reports Of Interprofessional Collaboration And Exposure During Graduate School, Carly Ruth Robalin

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Although the importance and benefits of interprofessional education (IPE) and interprofessional collaboration (IPC) in healthcare have been well demonstrated, the majority of graduate programs in speech-language pathology (SLP) only offer discipline-specific coursework and related experiences. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore SLPs' perceptions of their graduate programs' success at preparing them to be interprofessional team-members in the medical work setting. Method: Medically-based SLPs in five Texas cities responded to a survey addressing IPE and IPC. Responses were collected regarding: 1. Interprofessional exposure to physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) during graduate school, 2. IPE opportunities …

Children's Reinforcement-Induced Suggestibility: Its Developmental Trajectory And Relation To Individual Differences, Elizabeth Rose Uhl

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Research has shown that reinforcement by interviewers can lead children to make false allegations of wrong doing (e.g., Garven, Wood, & Malpass, 2000). The current study examined the developmental trajectory of reinforcement-induced suggestibility and its relation to individual differences among children. Forty-eight kindergarteners, 52 second graders, and 54 fourth graders viewed a science demonstration by a young man introduced as "Paco Perez." One week later they were interviewed about the visit with misleading questions that suggested Paco had engaged in wrongdoing. Half of the children were interviewed using reinforcement; the other half did not receive reinforcement. Two weeks after Paco's …

The Role Of Cross-Language Activation In Syntactic Ambiguity, Li-Hao Yeh

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

There is much evidence demonstrating that bilinguals activate lexical representations from both of their languages in a non-selective manner even in sentence context. Comparatively less research has examined the extent to which bilingual lexical representations interacts with syntactic processing in sentence context. The purpose of this study is to examine whether bilinguals' cross-language lexical activation could influence their resolution of syntactic ambiguity (e.g. relative clause attachment). Proper attachment of relative clauses (RC) to noun phrases is critical for accurate interpretation of syntactically ambiguous sentences. For instance, the sentence The robber shot the secretary of my husband who goes to work …

A Missiological Study Of The Phenomenon Of Dual Allegiance In The Seventh-Day Adventist Church Among The Yoruba People Of Nigeria, Paul Adekunle Dosunmu

Dissertations

Problem

Many Africans and members of other traditional societies of the world who still hold to a supernaturalistic and spiritualistic worldview visit diviners, shamans, spiritualistic herbalists, and the traditional medicine men and women who use enchantments, divination, charms, invocation of the spirit world, etc. They engage in such practices for various reasons which include, to diagnose and treat various ailments, both physical and psychological which plague their clients, a quest to know the future through divination, and also for the preparation of different kinds of charms and medicines. Christians, including some Yoruba Adventists, also engage in such consultations, a practice …

Twenty Years Of Critical Race Theory: Looking Back To Move Forward, Kimberlé W. Crenshaw

Faculty Scholarship

This Article revisits the history of Critical Race Theory (CRT) through a prism that highlights its historical articulation in light of the emergence of postracialism. The Article will explore two central inquiries. This first query attends to the specific contours of law as the site out of which CRT emerged. The Article hypothesizes that legal discourse presented a particularly legible template from which to demystify the role of reason and the rule of law in upholding the racial order. The second objective is to explore the contemporary significance of CRT's trajectory in light of today's "post-racial" milieu. The Article posits …