Digital Commons Network^™

Teacher Evaluations: Do Classroom Observations And Evaluator Training Really Matter?, Sarah J. Pies

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if the minimum number of observations stated in a districts teacher evaluation plan, observation characteristics described in a districts evaluation plan, and the characteristic of those evaluating teachers had an impact on whether a school would receive a bonus or penalty point for Indianas A-F accountability model. This study analyzed both math and English/language arts bonus and penalty points for all schools whose district has been implementing the new mandated teacher evaluation plan since the 2012–2013 school year. This included 3,997 schools within 215 districts in Indiana. Overall, when predicting whether a …

Teacher Perspectives On Full Inclusion Of Students With Learning Disabilities In Saudi Arabia High Schools, Majed Alqahtani

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore attitudes as a basis for understanding perceptions. Also, better understanding will provide a research-validated basis from which to project pathways for change. This study employed a quantitative methodology and utilized multiple regressions and compared teachers perceptions in regard to inclusive setting for students with learning disabilities in all KSA high schools. The Opinion Relative to Integration survey included 25 questions divided into four factors as criterion variables: benefit of integration, integrated classroom management, ability to teach students with learning disabilities, and special versus integrated general Education” (Antonak & Larrivee, 1995, p. 144). …

Evaluating Medical Students’ Proficiency With A Handheld Ophthalmoscope: A Pilot Study, Gregory Gilmour, James M. Mckivigan

College of Health & Human Services (TUN) Publications and Research

Introduction: Historically, testing medical students’ skills using a handheld ophthalmoscope has been difficult to do objectively. Many programs train students using plastic models of the eye which are a very limited fidelity simulator of a real human eye. This makes it difficult to be sure that actual proficiency is attained given the differences between the various models and actual patients. The purpose of this article is to introduce a method of testing where a medical student must match a patient with his/her fundus photo, ensuring objective evaluation as well as developing skills on real patients which are more likely to …

Do Direct Behavior Rating-Single Item Scales (Dbr-Sis) Help Students With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Self-Regulate?, Regina M. Hildenbrand-Moore

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As accountability of teachers has been pushed to the forefront, it has been speculated that tolerance for students with behavior problems will dissipate (Menzies & Lane, 2011). Strategies that are efficient and effective are needed to help monitor behavior change and to help students learn to regulate their behavior. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most common disorder of self-regulation (Barkley, 1997). An estimated three million children in the United States take medications for attention and behavior problems associated with deficits in self-regulation (Olfson, Marcus, Weissman, & Jensen, 2002). Self-regulation interventions have been proposed as methods that are effective in increasing …

Effect Of Directed Study Of Mathematics Vocabulary On Standardized Mathematics Assessment Questions, Adel Marlane Waite

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problems under investigation included (a) Did a directed study of mathematics vocabulary significantly affect student performance levels on standardized mathematical questions? and (b) Did the strategies used in this study significantly affect student performance levels on standardized mathematical questions? The population consisted of eighth-grade pre-algebra students from two different middle schools in southern Indiana. This quasi-experimental study was of a quantitative, repeated-measures design, using a population of approximately 140 eighth-grade students with a control sample of 37 and an experimental sample of 52. I performed a repeated measures ANCOVA to analyze scores from a mathematics vocabulary posttest for each …

Analytical-Based Methodologies To Examine In Vitro Nanokinetics Of Silver Nanoparticles, Sesha Lakshmi Arathi Paluri

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Advancements in the nanotechnology have taken a huge leap in 21st century resulting in 1814 consumer products containing nanomaterials. About 47% of these products belong to the health and fitness sector and ~24% utilize silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). Despite the promising biomedical applications of AgNPs (e.g. bone cements, contrasting agents, and drug-carriers), lack of standardized methods for examining their nanokinetics (i.e., Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, and Elimination (ADMEs)) limit their clinical implementation. The current work addresses this knowledge gap by developing analytical-based approaches for studying in vitro ADMEs of AgNPs. To demonstrate the versatility of these methodologies, two in vitro kidney study …

Creating Confident Writers: Implementing Writing Portfolios In A Secondary-Level Language Arts Classroom, Julia Smagacz

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This paper explores the implementation of a writing portfolio project in secondary-level English Language Arts classrooms. In addition to defining the project and describing its potential parameters, this paper describes goals and strategies that educators may use to implement this project, using research from multiple school district curricula and reputable state education resources. The paper includes testimonies from four current high school English teachers, in which each teacher details his or her experience with the writing portfolio. The teachers also provided feedback on the importance of writing and the writing process in general. Also included in this paper is a …

A Semi-Automatic Grading Experience For Digital Ink Quizzes, Brooke Ellen Rhees

Theses and Dissertations

Teachers who want to assess student learning and provide quality feedback are faced with a challenge when trying to grade assignments quickly. There is currently no system which will provide both a fast-to-grade quiz and a rich testing experience. Previous attempts to speed up grading time include NLP-based text analysis to automate grading and scanning in documents for manual grading with recyclable feedback. However, automated NLP systems all focus solely on text-based problems, and manual grading is still linear in the number of students. Machine learning algorithms exist which can interactively train a computer quickly classify digital ink strokes. We …

Pilot Investigation Into The Use Of An Anthropomorphic Breast Sonography Phantom As A Training And Assessment Tool, Jacinta Browne, Louise Cannon, Ronan Mcdermott, Max Ryan, Andrew Fagan

Articles

A device for the training and quantitative assessment of the competency of trainee radiologists in the technically challenging area of breast sonography was developed and evaluated. Currently, suitable commercially available devices are lacking, and there is a growing realization that the reliance on direct exposure to patients for learning may not represent best practice from either the trainees' or patients' perspective. Three devices (PI, PII and PIII) were designed to produce very realistic sonographic images of breast morphology with a range of embedded pathologies. The pilot evaluation used a case study research design to evaluate the role of the anthropomorphic …

Concussion Knowledge And Understanding In Ghsa Guardians, Chloe C. Salway

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Context: Concussions are a serious injury that could result in both short and long-term consequences, particularly if not recognized and managed appropriately. Concussion education has been implemented, mostly as a result of Concussion legislation. Coach and athlete concussion education has been evaluated in the literature, however the literature is scarce on parental concussion education.

Purpose: To assess concussion knowledge and understanding in guardians of Georgia High School Association (GHSA) student-athletes that completed the GHSA concussion awareness form, in comparison to those that received additional concussion education.

Methods: This study utilized a prospective cross-sectional descriptive research design. Participants were GHSA guardians …

Evaluation, Treatment, And Education In The Hospice Setting By Initiating A Formalized Pain Card, Alyssa M. Soprano

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this DNP quality improvement project was to evaluate the use of a formalized pain card that Nurse Practitioners could use to assist clients and caregivers in making the decisions necessary for safe and effective pain management with improving outcomes by using the Brief Pain Inventory Form for measuring: 1) decreased pain, 2) increased pain, 3) pain relief. The appraised evidence suggested that there was a need for a policy standard for patients to notify when pain is unrelieved despite exhausting all other efforts to control pain (Glowacki, 2015). Forty-one (n=41) hospice patients were surveyed pre and post …

Determinants Of Academic Success Of Cambodian American Students, Chanthol Oung

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Cambodian Americans' (CAs) children still exhibit the second lowest rate of academic achievement in the United States, despite the tenets of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 that promote equality in American education. Furthermore, there is a gap in the literature on the relationship between the academic success of Cambodian American students (CASs) and the parents' and the children's factors. Using a structural strain theory of deviance of functionalism theory, this correlational study (a) explored whether education, income, birthplace, and gender of parents and age at immigration and gender of children the determinants of academic success of CASs …

Science Content Knowledge: A Component Of Teacher Effectiveness In A Primary School In Jamaica, Euphemia Sophia Robinson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Empirical evidence from the National Education Inspectorate suggested that teachers at the primary school in this study in an island country in the Caribbean have inadequate science content knowledge. Students' average performance on the science Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) has been below 40% for the last 5 years. The purpose of this bounded case study, guided by Shulman's conceptual framework, was to understand teachers' science subject matter knowledge (SMK). The guiding questions focused on teachers' abilities to demonstrate components of Shulman's SMK during science teaching and lesson planning and to gather their views on their abilities to meet the …

Grammars And Rhetorics, Ian Cornelius

English: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Grammar and rhetoric were the disciplines charged with teaching correct and effective use of language in antiquity. In the Middle Ages, these disciplines served to maintain Latin as a language of culture, religion, and administration over much of Europe. Grammatical studies flourished in medieval England following the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity. Subsequent developments in grammatical and rhetorical studies in Britain in the Middle Ages track deep changes in the social conditioning of literacy and social demands upon literacy. Among the medieval English innovations in these disciplines were the teaching of Latin as a foreign language, the cultural accommodation …

The Effects Of Adapted Physical Education On Students With Down Syndrome: A Meta-Analysis, Christopher Ij Bolt

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Objective: The purpose of this study was to synthesize findings from physical activity interventions on children and adolescents with Down syndrome.

Design: The present study employed a quantitative research synthesis design. The overall conclusions of past research highlight important issues related to physical activity interventions performed on children and adolescents with Down syndrome.

Methods: Standard meta-analytic procedures incorporating inclusion and exclusion criteria, literature search, coding procedures, and statistical methods were used to identify and synthesize 24 studies with 258 independent samples. Cohen’s (1988) criteria for effect sizes were used to interpret and evaluate results.

Results: The average treatment effect for …

Children's Letter Learning: The Effect Of Manipulating Visual Complexity On Children's Letter Learning, Bahar Amani

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

As a growing presence in homes and schools, technology plays an important role in the way that children learn in their environment. The early integration of technology within education reflects the promise of computer-based educational tools to facilitate early learning in children (Grant, Wood, Gottardo, Evans, Phillips, & Savage, 2012). Young learners are reported to be challenged with high levels of distractibility that can hinder their ability to learn in particular conditions and contexts (Fisher, Godwin, & Seltman, 2014). This can be a problem when considering that educational materials are often designed to be elaborate to keep young learners interested. …

Emotional And Behavioral Effects Within The Triadic Family System: Actor-Partner Interdependence Between Parents And Preschoolers, Alexandra L. Montena

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

The purpose of the current study is to examine emotional and behavioral interdependence within the triadic family system. Interdependence was assessed over time between 17 participant groups of mothers, fathers and preschoolers. Responses of each parent and preschooler were observed during story recitations that were chosen to elicit positive or negative responses; observations included measures of attention, external affect, and affective congruency. Parental self-report ratings of expressivity, negative emotions, and child temperament were compared to observations during story recitations, as well. Some father-child interactions appeared to be affected by story condition. However, parent gender had little effect on parent-child interactions …

Effectiveness And Efficiency Of Training In Digital Healthcare Packages: Training Doctors To Use Digital Medical Record Keeping Software, Nicola Benwell, Kathryn Hird, Nicholas Thomas, Erin Furness, Mark Fear, Greg Sweetman

Medical Papers and Journal Articles

Objective: Fiona Stanley Hospital (FSH) is the first hospital in Western Australia to implement a digital medical record (BOSSnet, Core Medical Solutions, Australia). Formal training in the use of the digital medical record is provided to all staff as part of the induction program. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether the current training program facilitates efficient and accurate use of the digital medical record in clinical practice.

Methods: Participants were selected from the cohort of junior doctors employed at FSH in 2015. An e-Learning package of clinically relevant tasks from the digital medical record was created …

Cognitive Performance Across The Life Course Of Bolivian Forager-Farmers With Limited Schooling, Michael Gurven, Eric Fuerstenberg, Benjamin C. Trumble, Jonathan Stieglitz, Bret Beheim, Helen Davis, Hillard Kaplan

ESI Publications

Cognitive performance is characterized by at least two distinct life course trajectories. Many cognitive abilities (e.g. “effortful processing” abilities including fluid reasoning, and processing speed) improve throughout early adolescence and start declining in early adulthood, while other abilities (e.g. “crystallized” abilities like vocabulary breadth) improve throughout adult life, remaining robust even at late ages. Although schooling may impact performance and cognitive “reserve”, it has been argued that these age patterns of cognitive performance are human universals. Here we examine age patterns of cognitive performance among Tsimane forager-horticulturalists of Bolivia, and test whether schooling is related to differences in cognitive performance …

Linking Geospatial Engineering Into Collaborative Multidisciplinary Bim Projects - An Educational Perspective, Avril Behan, Helen Murray, Jonathan Argue, Ronan Hogan, Audrey Martin, Pat O'Sullivan, Robert Moore, Malachy Mathews

Conference papers

This paper describes the background to and execution of a postgraduate project undertaken by students on DIT's MSc in Geospatial Engineering (GeoEng) in support of a project on level 2 BIM being undertaken by students on the MSc in applied Building Information Modelling & Management (aBIMM) around the retrofit of and new build extension to the Grangegorman Clock Tower Building. In support of this requirement, an external and internal survey of the existing structure and its surrounding topography was required. The aBIMM students and staff acted as the Design Team who subcontracted the Geo Eng group who were organised into …

“A Certain Stigma” Of Educational Radio: Judith Waller And “Public Service” Broadcasting, Amanda R. Keeler

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

This paper explores Judith Waller’s radio programming philosophy over her career that began in 1922 at WMAQ Chicago. In the 1940s, representing the interests of her employer NBC, Waller began to use the phrase “public service” as a way to break free of the “stigma” of educational radio. The concept of public service programming shifted during the 1930s and 1940s in the US, redefined and negotiated in response to assumptions about radio listeners, the financial motivations of commercial radio, and Federal Communications Commission rulings. This paper brings renewed attention to the past and present political economy of media in the …

Role Emerging Placements In Undergraduate Occupational Therapy Training: A Case Study, Martin Fitzgerald, Abigail Kate Smith, Nazman Rehman, Michelle Taylor

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Role-emerging placements in occupational therapy training are contributing to professional and workforce development because of their strong occupational focus and placement of students in emerging practice. This manuscript explores how one role-emerging placement challenged and developed student theoretical and clinical skills, presented new ways of working at the recipient site, and enhanced service delivery. Methods: The background to role-emerging placements in occupational therapy is explored through the use of a case study which reflects on and analyses how the assessment and treatment of occupation enhanced service delivery at a local, non-traditional site. Eight students in England developed and …

Developing Student Skills To Actively Engage In Feedback Conversations: A Pilot Study, Neil Tuttle, Andrea Bialocerkowski

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Students often have passive or counterproductive responses to feedback. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate a feedback training module containing online learning and live simulation. It was hypothesized that 1) student confidence in feedback skills would increase following the module, and 2) compared with a control group who undertook the module after their clinical placement, the feedback group who undertook the module before their placement would perform better on clinical placement on the sections of the Assessment of Physiotherapy Practice related to communication, but those related to clinical skills would not be affected. Methods: …

Creative Confidence In Organizational Knowledge Creation: A Synthesis Of The Literature, Elnaz Dario, Rafael Landaeta, Resit Unal, E.H. Ng. (Ed.), B. Nepal (Ed.), E. Schott (Ed.)

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Creative confidence is a newly rising topic in the innovation study area. In a world where creativity has become a vital source of knowledge creation, not believing in one's own creative capacity could be a barrier. At the organizational level, many good ideas are disappearing before ever being written down or shared. Organizations may lose talented people who have great creative potential by either not giving them the opportunity to express their creative ideas or due to a lack of confidence from the employee side, in sharing these ideas. This paper will contribute to the research stream on the role …

Exploring Female Stem Learners' Perceptions Of Masculinity As Presented By Male Instructors Of Technology, Chad Clark

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Men dominate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) degree programs and occupations. Even though many individuals are not cognitively aware of how pervasive hegemonic masculinity is in day-to-day life, the ramifications of the concept are real. This study looks to understand how female STEM students perceive the masculinity of their male STEM instructors and what effect that perception might have on their desire to persist in a STEM program of study. This study assumes a power differential exists between teacher and student. The assumption is supported in literature. Additionally, the classroom management hierarchy wherein the teacher controls the direction for …

Homosexuality As Haram: An Examination Of The Effects Of Gender, Contact, And Religiosity On Sexual Prejudice In Muslim College Students, Amanda T. Yeck

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined how gender, contact, and religiosity influence sexual prejudice in Muslims. Given that the preponderance of research examining attitudes toward gay men and lesbian women has been conducted with Judeo-Christian populations, research exploring sexual prejudice in Muslim individuals is warranted. Social Identity Theory was used as a theoretical framework to explore these factors, as sexual prejudice has been linked with both gender role and moral transgressions. The final sample consisted of 166 heterosexual Muslims, and 12 non-heterosexual Muslims collected through a snowball sample. Participants completed the Multidimensional Scale of Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men, the Santa …

Timed Tests And Math Anxiety As Factors Affecting Elementary School Math Performance, Jonathan Emmons

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current study sought to evaluate the effects of timed tests and math anxiety as factors that influence the math performance of second- and fourth-grade students, including evaluating differences based on gender. Relevant literature was reviewed, examining the concept of math anxiety and the effects of timed testing. In the experimental phase, students participated in an age-appropriate math test in either a timed or untimed condition. Each participant also responded to the Childrens Anxiety in Math Scale (Jameson, 2013). Initial results from a three-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed a main effect for gender on math performance, with males performing …

Fall Prevention In A Neurological Care Unit, Claudeth Jeffrey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Patient falls are an ongoing concern for health systems in the US and in the setting where this project took place. Inpatient falls affect consumers and health providers because falls often result in patient morbidity and mortality, legal risk, increased length of stay, and increased costs. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the existing fall prevention protocol at the site where this project took place and to make recommendations for an evidenced-based fall prevention protocol. The professional practice model was the conceptual model that guided the exploratory descriptive project. A review of the site's fall prevention policies and …

The Role Of Distance In College Undermatching, Lois Miller, Humberto Barreto

School of Business and Leadership Working Papers

This paper explores factors explaining why so many high-achieving, low-income students apply to and enroll at universities with relatively low academic standards, despite generous financial aid packages and evidence that these students would be successful at colleges that are more selective. Amazon’s Mechanical Turk was used to gather data, and the entire file is freely available at academic.depauw.edu/hbarreto_web/working. A probit analysis confirms an established result that low-income students are more likely to undermatch. The key result is that as the distance between a student’s home and the university they attend increases, the probability that the student will undermatch decreases. At …

Writing Behaviors And Critical Thinking Styles: The Case Of Blended Learning, Zahra Ahmadpour, Reza Khaasteh

Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The advent in technology has shown that the individual differences and cognitive styles influence the way the process of writing transpires . Setting up the quasi-experimental study, the researchers sought to explore the writing behaviors of EFL learners in a blended learning environment in the light of critical thinking styles. To this end, 30 advanced language students took part in the four weeks experiment of this study. They were asked to write texts based on the provided information presented by the online module, designed by the researchers. Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (CTA) was used to measure the students’ critical thinking …