Digital Commons Network^™

Expert Perspectives On Using Mainstream Mobile Technology For School-Age Children Who Require Augmentative And Alternative Communcation (Aac): A Policy Delphi Study, Vinh-An Nguyen

Theses and Dissertations

Despite legislation in the U.S.A requiring the use of assistive technology in special education, there remains an underutilization of technology-based speech intervention for young students who require augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). The purpose of this Policy Delphi study was to address three guiding research questions that relate to the feasibility of using mainstream mobile technology, facilitative actions, and stakeholder roles for implementation and utilization of AAC in elementary school settings. Data were collected in two rounds of questionnaires given to experts in special education, assistive technology and speech and language pathology, with experience in AAC. Round 1 included 19 …

A Critical Approach To Rap Music, Kristen Porterfield

Senior Honors Theses

People have used music to tell stories and share ideas for ages, making it an influential means of communication (Delaney, 2007). Rap music in particular came on the scenes in the late twentieth century in New York and continues to be a popular form of expression into the 21^st century (Blanchard, 1999). However, many remain divided on whether rap music should have a place in society. Some claim rap is harmful and promoting of violent lifestyles (Richardson & Scott, 2002). Others, however, believe rap is useful in education and counseling settings for promoting discussion about life choices (Silvera, 2015). …

Conflict Styles And College Roommates, Billie K. Radcliffe

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project focuses on the conflict that occurs between roommates and proposes an hour and a half training module designed to help participants understand the impact of conflict on their relationships and to develop strategies for improved conflict resolution in the future. The training will be based on the Thomas-Kilmann MODE Instrument, history of conflict styles, and how conflict and conflict styles affect roommate conflict.

Communicatively Constructing The Bright And Dark Sides Of Hope: Family Caregivers’ Experiences During End Of Life Cancer Care, Jody Koenig Kellas, Katherine M. Castle, Alexis Johnson, Marlene Z. Cohen

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

(1) Background: The communication of hope is complicated, particularly for family caregivers in the context of cancer who struggle to maintain hope for themselves and their loved ones in the face of terminality. In order to understand these complexities, the current study examines the bright and dark sides of how hope is communicated across the cancer journey from the vantage point of bereaved family caregivers; (2) Methods: We analyzed interviews with bereaved family caregivers using qualitative thematic and case oriented strategies to identify patterns in the positive and negative lived experiences when communicating about hope at the end of life; …

Strategies For Reducing Registered Nurse Voluntary Turnover, Quintin Earl Cain

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The high rate of voluntary employee turnover in nursing has forced business leaders to search for strategies that reduce voluntary employee turnover. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies nurse managers used to reduce registered nurse voluntary turnover. Face-to-face semistructured interviews were conducted with 5 nurse managers in the San Antonio, Texas area. The conceptual framework included Herzberg's 2-factor theory and Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory. Data analysis included Yin's 5-step process: (a) compiling the data, (b) disassembling the data into common codes, (c) reassembling the data into themes, (d) interpreting their meaning, and (e) reporting …

Strategies Used To Retain Talent In The Insurance Industry, Jamie Edward King

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee engagement levels are critical to organizations that desire to retain a workforce

that innovates, produces positive results, and stays committed to the organization. The

purpose of this single case study was to explore employee engagement strategies used by

business leaders to retain talent. The conceptual framework that guided this study was

Deci's self-determination theory. Data collection occurred through semistructured

interviews with four participants within the insurance industry having three or more years

of management experience and having a positive reputation for engaging employees. The

participating company is located in central Indiana. Participants answered 10 open-ended

questions related to employee …

Gender Differences In Discussion Strategies Of Asynchronous Online Undergraduate Psychology Major Students, Shawna Marie Burtis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Numerous studies have focused on gender differences in communication in various learning settings and have found that men and women typically communicate in different ways; however, no studies have directly investigated undergraduate psychology major students. Based on symbolic convergence theory, a survey design was in this quantitative study to examine gender differences in online discussion strategies among undergraduate psychology student majors at online universities. Focusing on 4 asynchronous online discussion strategies, the research questions addressed gender differences in discussion strategies while controlling for students' previous experience with online learning and level of study in their current program. A convenience sample …

Servant Leadership: What Makes It An Effective Leadership Model., Janice Poland Tanno

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Servant leadership (SL), a universal, ethical leadership style, consistently produces high performance and employee engagement. For the last two decades, lack of business ethics in decision making by senior leaders has resulted in many negative outcomes, such as the WorldCom scandal. The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to identify and report the lived experiences of senior leaders in relation to decision making in SL organizations in the southwestern United States. The study's theoretical/conceptual foundations encompassed Maslow's motivation theories, decision theory, spirituality, spiritual intelligence, Cicero's virtue theory of ethics, and Greenleaf's SL. Data collection involved the use of semistructured …

Family Rounds In The Medical Intensive Care Unit: An Intervention To Enhance Communication, Travis R. Klein

DNP Projects

Background: In the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) family member satisfaction is an important element of quality patient care. Families of ICU patients value communication with care providers and involvement in their relative’s care.

Objectives:

1. To determine if scheduled family rounds each day can improve the satisfaction and feelings of support with decision-making for family members of ICU patients?

2. Evaluate any associations between patient characteristics (hospital length of stay, ICU length of stay, and ventilator days) and family satisfaction?

Methods: This pilot project was conducted in a 12-bed medical ICU led by advanced practice nurses (APRN-MICU). Using the family …

Differences In Orgasm Frequency Between Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, And Heterosexual Men And Women In A U.S. National Sample, David Frederick, H. Kate St. John, Justin R. Garcia, Elisabeth A. Lloyd

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

There is a notable gap between heterosexual men and women in frequency of orgasm during sex. Little is known, however, about sexual orientation differences in orgasm frequency. We examined how over 30 different traits or behaviors were associated with frequency of orgasm when sexually intimate during the past month. We analyzed a large US sample of adults (N = 52,588) who identified as heterosexual men (n = 26,032), gay men (n = 452), bisexual men (n = 550), lesbian women (n = 340), bisexual women (n = 1112), and heterosexual women (n = …

The Ball's In Her Court: Communicating Gender And Sexual Identity In Today's Wnba, Jose Maldonado

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Prior research has demonstrated certain societal issues that impact not only female basketball players, but all female athletes on more of a larger scale than just participating in sport. With social media rapidly becoming a popular form of communication today, and the dilemma of these women being analyzed for something other than their basketball prowess, it is important that certain communication strategies in a mediated environment be further researched. Using textual analysis, three of the WNBA's most popular players will be examined to determine if there are significant themes and differences that confirm the previously established gender norms, along with …

New Product Development Team Creativity And Innovation: The Role Of Cultural Diversity, Communication, Proximity And Foreign Culture Representativeness, Felix A. Flores

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This Dissertation explores new product development team creativity and innovation. Section 1 discusses the definition, measurement and relevance of new product development team creativity. It highlights some of the discrepancies in the literature with regards to the definition and operationalization of creativity, and adopts a definition and scale, that will serve as the foundation for section 2 and 3 studies.

Section 2 examines the influence of several dimensions of cultural diversity on new product development creativity and innovation, during differing stages of new product development, and in both co-located and domestic environments.

Section 3 extends section 2 by examining the …

An Evaluation Of The Impact Of Event Attendance On Perceptions Of The Host Organisation’S Reputation: A University Case Study, Katie Angliss

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

Reputation is an important asset for organisations worldwide. Many researchers have attempted to develop a measurement construct to assess an organisation’s reputation, with the RepTrak System being recognised to be the world’s first tool that assess reputation across multiple stakeholders and areas of the organisation. Nevertheless, the characteristics, methods and stakeholders to include within an assessment of this intangible asset continues to be widely debated. Organisations are under intense scrutiny by their stakeholders, with reputation being an organisational asset on which many opinions are formed. Universities in the UK are no different, as they compete for students from around the …

Perceptions Of Cancer Of Unknown Primary Site: A National Survey Of Australian Medical Oncologists, C Karapetis, L Guccione, M Tattersall, H Gooden, C Vajdic, S Lambert, M Robotin, L Mileshkin, P Schofield

Medical Papers and Journal Articles

Introduction: Despite being the 6th cause of cancer death in Australia, cancer of unknown primary (CUP) site remains poorly understood.

Aims: To describe practices relating to the diagnosis, investigation, classification, communication and management of CUP amongst medical oncologists.

Methods: We invited all members of the Medical Oncology Group of Australia to participate in a national, anonymous online survey about CUP. The survey collected data regarding diagnosis acceptance, diagnostic tests, treatment protocols and communication practices around the diagnosis of CUP.

Results: 302 oncologists were invited and 86 (28%) completed the survey. Eighty respondents (93%) were directly involved in the assessment of …

Leadership Strategies For Developing And Implementing Organizational Change, Hardy L. Delay Iv

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Leaders in some narcotics treatment programs struggle with change development and implementation. The objective of this single-case study was to explore strategies used by leaders in a narcotics treatment program to develop and implement organizational change initiatives successfully. Participants included 4 leaders who had developed and implemented successful change initiatives repeatedly for more than 10 years in a narcotics treatment program in the southeastern United States. Bertalanffy's general systems theory was the basis for the conceptual framework. Data collection included semistructured interviews of leaders of a narcotics treatment program and collection of archival data, such as reports relating to strategic …

A Mixed-Methods Examination Of The Relationship Between Parent-Professional Interactions And Parental Grief After Their Child Dies Of Cancer, Carlos Torres

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to examine how bereaved parents interactions with their deceased childs pediatric oncology professional care team have impacted their grief symptoms. Thirty participants whose children died of cancer one to three years ago completed an in-depth interview and surveys measuring meaning-making, depression, and grief symptoms. Correlational analyses of the measures found that an increase in meaning making was associated with lower depressive and grief symptoms. A content analysis of the interviews found that many participants regarded staff like family, had on-going relationships with staff after their child died, and described various ways staff interactions …

Listening To The Divine Song Within The Greater Song Of Life, E. James Baesler

Communication & Theatre Arts Faculty Publications

[First section]

Why I Teach Listening to the Divine Song

This autoethnography narrates how I came to teach listening to the divine song as part of an undergraduate listening course called Listening to the SONG of Life.¹ Before I describe two personal stories that explain why I teach listening to the divine, a brief introduction to my interpretation of the autoethnographic method is in order.

Autoethnography, as used in this story, is grounded in the assumptions that language is a primary medium by which we are conscious, understand the world, and communicate our learnings to others in stories,^{2 …}

Ethnographic Insights Into Safety Communication For Frontline Workers, Kelly Jaunzems, Lelia Green, David Leith, Christine Teague

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Recent calls for organisation studies to embrace ‘the practice turn’ (Whittington, 2011) have expanded into an understanding of the potential for ethnographic research in occupational health and safety (OHS) research (Pink et al., 2016). The ethnographic project described here, with fieldwork conducted between 2008 and 2010, is one element of this growing appreciation of the potential for qualitative research in industrial settings. Ethnographies have not often been used in OHS settings, and ‘much practicebased knowledge remains undocumented, informal, unspoken and thus unaccounted for’ (Pink et al., 2016, p. 27). This study was motivated by an aim to make explicit the …

Optimism As A Mediating Factor In The Relationship Between Anxiety And News Media Exposure In College Students, Danielle Hoyt

Honors Projects in Applied Psychology

Recently, media research has focused on young people to determine what effect violent media images may have on aggressive behavior, but little research has investigated the kind of psychological distress similar images may cause. What emotional impact does increased exposure to negative and even violent news coverage have on young adults? In this study, the relationship between such news media and anxiety levels is examined, as well as the possible mediating role that an optimistic life orientation may play in that relationship. It is hypothesized that the degree to which these individuals follow news media will positively correlate with their …

The Persuasive Power Of Video Game Narratives: Addressing Empathy And Attitudes Toward People With Mental Illness, Kristy M. Najarian

Master of Arts in Communication

Many college students find themselves struggling with mental health problems (ACHA, 2015). Individuals with mental illness not only battle with the disease, but with the stigma society has developed toward them, leading to a diminished quality of life. Education and contact are two antistigma approaches utilized in this study (Corrigan & Watson, 2002). This thesis aims to understand players’ involvement in the video game narrative (i.e., narrative engagement and transportation) and its relationship with empathy and attitudes toward people with mental illness. As a way to alleviate stigma, college students (N = 97) were surveyed after playing the video game …

Documentation, Information And The Animal Connection, Geir Grenersen

Proceedings from the Document Academy

The article elaborates on the informational relationship between nature, animals and humans. In traditional societies, nature and animals are rich sources of information and documentation, as seen in Sámi reindeer husbandry. Today, research on animal behaviour has shown that animals are capable of sophisticated communication with humans. In the field of documentation and information studies, Marcia Bates has made a significant contribution to this perspective. The article presents some of her concepts, and discusses their potential use in empirical research on documentation in the Sámi society.

Hookup Culture On College Campuses: Centering College Women, Communication Barriers, And Negative Outcomes, Laura Klinger

College Student Affairs Leadership

The majority of college students feel that their lives are dominated by the hookup culture, or a sexual culture of non-committed sexual encounters. However, college students are actually participating in this culture in much smaller numbers than they believe their peers to be, pointing to a culture that is driven by perception rather than clear communication or healthy desire. This article provides a comprehensive review of the literature on this subject, with particular emphasis on the challenges to communication that exist within hookup relationships with the understanding that this may contribute to the negative outcomes experienced by students. As women …

Electronic Communication Among Anesthesia Providers, Joseph K. Wells

Doctoral Projects

Facilities in the United States are utilizing electronic communication devices (ECDs) for their nursing staff on intensive care units, general medical-surgical floors, and chemotherapy floors, but it is underutilized in the operating room where seconds truly matter (Wu et al., 2012). Situations arise daily within operating rooms that require quick and decisive communication to avoid poor patient outcomes. The ultimate goal is to prevent poor patient outcomes by enhancing communication among anesthesia providers.

This doctoral project evaluated an anesthesia group in southeast Mississippi regarding their satisfaction with current devices used for communication. This anesthesia group utilized smart phones and public …

Using Behavior Skills Training To Teach Effective Conversation Skills To Individuals With Disabilities, Allison L. Schmidt

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

A behavioral skills training (BST) package consisting of instructions, modeling an appropriate conversation, participant rehearsal, and constructive feedback, was used to teach appropriate conversation skills to three adults with developmental disabilities. A task analysis was used to define the steps of having a conversation. These steps included greetings, initiations, initiating a topic, responding, and maintaining a topic as the target skills. A nonconcurrent multiple baseline design across participants was used; an A-B-C format was embedded within the design for participants 1 and 2. Participant 3 was assessed using an A-B format. In situ was measured across three settings: each participant's …

Connections With The Current Generation Of College Students Using Digital Marketing Practices, Michael Galindo

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Higher education professionals in college and university admissions utilize various forms of communication in enrolling their fall class. The problem with the digital generation, also known as the Millennials, is that students have disconnected from the personal touch - the connection that is established between the student, their admissions counselor and the institution. Often it is found that this connection helps prospective students find that perfect fit in selecting a college.

This study identifies several technological approaches and evaluates their effectiveness in undergraduate admissions recruitment. A review of the literature revealed that recent technological advances such as social media, personal …

The Cowl - V.81 - N.11 - Dec 1, 2016

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Volume 81, Number 11 - December 1, 2016. 24 pages.

The Captivity Of Opportunity: The Conversation Surrounding Church-Going Hispanic Immigrants, Nicolet Hopper Bell

Master's Theses

Immigration is a long-standing topic of discussion in the United States. Hispanic immigrants, or families of Hispanic immigrants, living in America face unique challenges. Through focus group interviews, participants from a predominantly Hispanic Protestant church narrated their experience of living in the United States. Guided grounded theory data analysis revealed three categories and 14 subcategories, or themes of conversation, surrounding this hot topic. Participants shed light on the distinctive challenges they faced, how these challenges affected them, and how they attempted to overcome these difficulties. By exploring these results through the lens of social stigma theory (Goffman, 2009) and intergroup …

Sharpening Career And Networking Skills For Fun And Profit, Tracy Z. Maleeff

SLA Student Chapter Events Archive

Congratulations, you will have an MLIS degree soon! Now, what? Whether library and information science is your first, second, or third career, learn how there are skills to be honed that you can use in both your professional and personal life. Learn tricks and tips about networking, public speaking, and research that can help you reach your life goals. Tracy Z. Maleeff will share her story of recognizing her transferable skills along her career path as well as how fine-tuning her networking skills brought great results.

Investigation Of Whether Determining A Patients Personality Results In Better Patient Communication And Oral Health, Cynthia E. Chavez

Dental Hygiene ETDs

One of the dental psychosomatic territories is the link between personality traits and oral health treatment. This present study aims at investigating whether determination of patient personality types leads to enhanced communication between dental hygienists and patients resulting in improved oral health. Some hypothesize that determining patient personality traits results in enhanced communication between the patient and the dental hygienist. Similarly, it is hypothesized that determination of a patient’s personality trait can result in better oral health.

How Do Faculty At The University Of New Mexico Use Humor In Online Teaching, John T. Granato

Organization, Information and Learning Sciences ETDs

Humor is a ubiquitous experience that facilitates learning, social coordination and wellbeing. This study examined how the faculty at the University of New Mexico used humor in its online courses. The process involved faculty interviews, a focus group of instructional online designers, questionnaires and documentation to collect data, and then used thematic analysis and code development to arrive at its findings. The study found that the humor pedagogy at the University of New Mexico has fallen into disuse for online courses because of (1) a hesitation (fear) to use humor, (2) fear of what students would think, and (3), hesitation …