Digital Commons Network^™

Discovery Neighborhood Myplate Macy: A Pilot Study, Amanda M. Robine

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Background: Obesity prevalence in United States children ages 2-19 years has been consistently high since 2003.1 These children are at a greater risk for many chronic disease. Educating children on how to make healthful food choices, and using fun characters in a classroom setting may be one step to reducing the obesity rate.

Objective: Increase knowledge about MyPlate and heathy eating in children in kindergarten through fifth grade.

Design: After the development of a nutrition lesson, an expert panel reviewed and suggested changes. Once changes were made the lesson was delivered to second and third graders at a summer camp. …

Practice Matters: Screening And Monitoring Hyperlipidemia, M. Laurie Branstetter Dnp, Maria E. Main, Tonya Bragg-Underwood Dnp

International Journal of Faith Community Nursing

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to provide Faith Community Nurses with current information on hyperlipidemia, a chronic disease responsible for the leading cause of death worldwide. Current guidelines for cholesterol screening and a risk calculator resource for estimating cardiovascular risk are provided. Myths and truths are presented for review with patients. Suggestions and resources for lifestyle modifications and patient education are included. Faith Community Nurses are at the center of community health and actively involved with improving health outcomes related to chronic disease.

A Study On Hispanic College Students' Mathematics Anxiety, Study Habits, And Academic Performances On Mathematics, Luis M. Fernandez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Mathematics anxiety has been described as a feeling of apprehension, fear, tension, and discomfort when confronted with mathematics. Mathematics anxiety has also been shown to interfere with mathematics performance; therefore, for our research we investigated what portions of individuals seem to suffer higher levels of mathematics anxiety and to what extent they are affected by it. We also investigated the study habits of the students and how these affect their mathematics anxiety levels and overall mathematics performance. Our data was obtained from Hispanic undergraduate students (n=405) who took Elementary Algebra (Math 1300), Intermediate Algebra (Math 1334), College Algebra (Math 1340) …

Basic Counseling Techniques Training: The Differential Effects Of Two Models On Skill Development And Fully Functioning, Christopher Loyd Carver

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of two models of basic counseling skill training on the development of fully functioning, and the frequency of basic skill utilization as assessed at the end of the course. Two groups of students were taught using the Carkhuff Human Resource Development model (1971) and Egan’s Skilled Helper model (2002). They were then given the Strathclyde inventory to assess fully functioning early and at the end of the semester, and skill frequency count was conducted on all participants. Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon tests were conducted to determine difference between groups in both measures. Additionally, …

Educating Future Nursing Scientists: Recommendations For Integrating Omics Content In Phd Programs, Margaret M. Heitkemper, Donna O. Mccarthy, Cindy M. Anderson, Elizabeth J. Corwin, Sandra Daack-Hirsch, Susan G. Dorsey, Katherine E. Gregory, Maureen W. Groer, Susan J. Henly, Timothy Landers, Debra E. Lyon, Jacquelyn Y. Taylor, Joachim Voss

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Preparing the next generation of nursing scientists to conduct high-impact, competitive, sustainable, innovative, and interdisciplinary programs of research requires that the curricula for PhD programs keep pace with emerging areas of knowledge and health care/biomedical science. A field of inquiry that holds great potential to influence our understanding of the underlying biology and mechanisms of health and disease is omics. For the purpose of this article, omics refers to genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, epigenomics, exposomics, microbiomics, and metabolomics. Traditionally, most PhD programs in schools of nursing do not incorporate this content into their core curricula. As part of the Council for …

Implementation Of Sustainability Improvements At The Facility Level: Business Motivations And Impact Of P2 Intern Recommendations, Vincent D. Kuppig

Department of Environmental Engineering: Theses and Other Student Research

Many sustainability and pollution prevention (P2) technical assistance programs exist across the Unities States. There is a need to quantify the actual impact using various metrics and, in addition, to identify the driving forces behind a company’s decision-making process. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Partners in Pollution Prevention and the Kansas State University Pollution Prevention Institute intern programs partnered to complete 30 reassessments in 2014 to obtain specific information related to each P2 recommendation. After being reassessed, the clients were surveyed concerning their motivations for implementing and not implementing each recommendation; 23 clients responded to the survey.

The clients surveyed were …

A Search For Understanding Why Male, Long Term High School Dropouts Resist Returning To Complete A Secondary Credential, Robert S. Mcgowan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Much of the resistance for returning to education seems to be related to the same reasons students left school to begin with. The reason for dropping out and resisting to return to school may be a result of too much emphasis on academic preparation and too little emphasis on satisfying the perceived needs for preparing a youth for adulthood. Four themes emerged from the field-note based interviews: (1) all students do not learn the same way, (2) there is a need for more participatory learning, (3) learning should be relevant to life as perceived by the student, and (4) there …

Intangible Benefits Of Team Identification, And The Factors Which Generate It, Toward Intercollegiate Athletic Programs In Students' College Adjustment, Junmo Sung

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Intercollegiate athletic programs have been used to facilitate Social interactions between students within the complex nature of the college environment. In particular, many researchers have discussed the benefits of intercollegiate athletic programs in higher education, examining positive aspects of team identification such as the enhancing sense of belonging, personal self- esteem, happiness, and decreasing stress, anxiety, depression, and loneliness in Social life. With the benefits of the program, it is important to scrutinize the benefits of intercollegiate athletic programs in students’ college adjustment in higher education. Therefore, the goal of this dissertation was to provide better understanding of the intercollegiate …

Experiences And Perceptions Of Community: The Fayetteville High School Community Photography Project, Stephanie Collier

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Fayetteville High School Community Photography Project was conducted with 10th-12th grade students in Spring 2014 as part of a participatory art project through their Sociology class. This study uses participant photographs and surveys to better understand student variation in community perceptions and connections. Participant photographs serve as a way to “see” how high school students perceive community. Survey data gathered on the same sample are used to measure individual-level characteristics such as perceived neighborhood deterioration, neighborhood satisfaction, and Social capital to better understand how they impact feelings of community connectedness in youth. Results indicate that Social capital plays an …

A Comparison And Exploration Of Arkansas Professional School Counselor Activities Across Poverty, Angela Mccoy Harless

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study is an exploration of the actual and preferred practices of Arkansas K-12 school counselors in low, mid, and high-poverty schools using the School Counselor Activity Rating Scale (Scarborough, 2005), follow-up questionnaires, and interviews. The qualitative component of this study brings to light the contextual factors that prevent school counselors from providing direct and indirect services to students outlined in the ASCA National Model. This research study examines the hidden dynamics of the counselor/principal relationship and how this relationship has a pivotal role in the realization of a fully comprehensive developmental school counseling program. This study contributes to the …

Effects Of Food Label Education On Consumers' Sensory Perception And Awareness In Chicken Meat, Shilpa Samant

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Recently, sustainability and process-related label claims have gained immense popularity especially for meat products like chicken. Apart from providing consumers with required product information, these labels have an impact on consumer perception and purchase behavior. The objective of this study was to determine whether providing label information affects consumers’ awareness and attitude toward the claims found on chicken products. Additionally, it was analyzed if enhanced label understanding affects consumers’ sensory and quality perceptions along with purchase intent. A total of 110 participants were randomly distributed into 1 of 3 types of education sessions: (1) reading a flyer (passive learning), (2) …

Differentiation Revealed: A Multiple-Methods Qualitative Study On The Implementation Of Differentiated Instruction In A Mixed-Ability Elementary Classroom, Curtis James Cunningham

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Differentiated instruction as a philosophical approach to teaching has been around for decades. In recent weeks differentiation has come under fire as being an approach to teaching that is simply too difficult for teachers to implement. While teachers may attend a workshop or take a graduate class on the topic of differentiation and choose not to embrace the philosophy, there are also teachers who have successfully implemented differentiation. The argument against differentiation is based on the amount of effort required to simultaneously implement all components of differentiation.

To address these concerns the following question provided guidance for the present multi-method …

Students' Perspectives After Participation In A Mandated College Level Alcohol Intervention Program: A Phenomenological Study, Suzanna L. Guizar

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol abuse among college students continues to be a significant problem by which the consequences impact the student, their peers, and the university. Although quantitative research with volunteer participants supports the use of enhanced brief motivational interventions and cognitive behavioral skills training in reducing risky drinking behavior (binge drinking), research with mandated students has shown inconsistent findings. The current study is a phenomenological qualitative study exploring the students’ perspectives after attending a mandated college-level alcohol intervention program. Mandated students are students who have been referred to an alcohol intervention as a result of violating an alcohol related policy on campus. …

Economic Literacy: Measuring The Economic Human Capital Of Arkansas K-12 Teachers, June Marie Freund

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Economic literacy is recognized as a deficit quality in the United States, no more prevalent than during the last great recession. It is paramount the K-12 educational system lead the movement to educate the public on economic content and issues, as it is the one institution that has direct contact with all citizens. The question then must be asked, how economic literate are teachers entrusted with the responsibility of imparting economic knowledge to his/her K-12 grade level student. A sample of Arkansas teachers at each grade level K – 12 were tested using national normed economic literacy tests designed to …

Fuel For Fun: Cooking With Kids Plus Parents And Play, Leslie Cunningham-Sabo, Barbara Lohse, Stephanie Smith, Jessica Clifford

Presentations and other scholarship

Fuel for Fun: Cooking with Kids Plus Parents and Play is an integrated research, extension, education project targeting 4th-grade students. Its long-term goal of reducing the risk of childhood obesity will be addressed by promoting healthful food and activity environments, policies and behaviors through: 1) evaluating the efficacy of a 4th grade comprehensive school-based intervention, 2) designing, implementing, and evaluating a family-based intervention, 3) applying it to an after-school setting to broaden its reach, and, 4) disseminating both versions through outreach

The Danielson Model Of Teacher Evaluation: Exploring Teacher Perceptions Concerning Its Value In Shaping And Improving Instructional Practice, Jonathan Tyler Moss

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Since the publication of A Nation at Risk in 1983, the school reform movement has offered many contrasting ideas and initiatives to make our nation’s schools more effective and globally competitive. Today’s educational leaders are faced with an array of complex demands as they are challenged at the state and federal level to improve teacher practices and learning outcomes within their schools. One of those demands for New Jersey administrators was to implement a teacher evaluation program that improves teaching and learning during the 2013-2014 school year. Mielke and Frontier (2012) believe that meaningful teacher evaluation has the potential …

Historical Differences In School Term Length And Measured Blood Pressure: Contributions To Persistent Racial Disparities Among Us-Born Adults, Sze Yan Liu, Jennifer M. Manly, Benjamin Capistrant, M Maria Glymour

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Abstract

Introduction

Legally mandated segregation policies dictated significant differences in the educational experiences of black and white Americans through the first half of the 20^th century, with markedly lower quality in schools attended by black children. We determined whether school term length, a common marker of school quality, was associated with blood pressure and hypertension among a cohort of older Americans who attended school during the de jure segregation era.

Methods

National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey I and II data were linked to state level historical information on school term length. We used race and gender-stratified linear regression …

Sexually Transmitted Disease Education For Adolescents, Chastity L. Osborn

DNP and Student Works

An interactive sexually transmitted infection (STI) education tool was developed to assist a non-profit agency, who for the purpose of this paper will be referred to as CCS, in meeting their annual organizational goals including: empowerment, further knowledge of the internal functionality of the female body, and decrease sexually transmitted infection (STI), consecutive pregnancies, and delayed overall risky sexual behaviors. The use of the tested and validated I Sing instrument as a pre and posttest instrument positively promoted the use of the interactive STI educational tool that the female adolescents can interact with the educator all at one time to …

Connect 213 - June 2015

Connect

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Voices Of Youth, Parents, And Stakeholders: Findings From Case Studies In The Youthsave Project, Li Zou, Sarah Myers Tlapek, Margaret S. Sherraden, John W. Gabbert, Amy Ritterbusch, Ernest Appiah, Dorcas Opai-Tetteh, Githinji Njenga, Joseph Kieyah, Sharad K. Sharma, Jyoti Manandhar, Manik Maharjan

Center for Social Development Research

Voices of Youth, Parents, and Stakeholders: Findings From Case Studies in the YouthSave Project

Strengthening Midwifery Education, Regulation And Association; A Case Study From Afghanistan, Sabera Turkmani, Fatima Gohar, Farida Shah, Saleha Hamnawazada, Pashtoon A. Zyaee

Journal of Asian Midwives (JAM)

Immediately after the fall of the Taliban in 2002, the midwifery system in Afghanistan underwent a massive reform, and Afghanistan has since developed a strong midwifery pre service educational (PSE) system to achieve the relevant MDG goals. Establishment and involvement of professional associations, and partnerships with the government and other key stakeholders have contributed in shared knowledge, resources, and coordinated activities to speed up achieving these goals.

The International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) and its partners believe that the midwifery profession needs to be a strong voice in reducing maternal and child mortality. The three pillars of the midwifery profession, …

Beliefs About The Lgbtq Community Among Social Work Graduate Students, Gina V. Florez, Guillermina Hall

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This research project was a quantitative survey study design to examine the attitudes of 49 Master of Social Work students attending California State University, San Bernardino. Recently, laws regarding same-sex marriage have been rapidly changing. As of this project completion, 37 states have legalized same-sex marriage. Therefore, now more than ever before, it is imperative that social work graduate students feel prepared to adequately provide services to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) populations.

Additionally, and of primary concern to the researchers, this project sought to determine whether graduate students felt that they had received adequate training and …

Kids Count The State Of The Child In Tennessee 2014, Tennessee. Commission On Children & Youth.

The State of the Child in Tennessee

No abstract provided.

Editor's Note, Padraig O’Malley

New England Journal of Public Policy

In this edition of the journal several articles address a range of important, and in some cases too often overlooked policy issues, too broad in scope for their conclusions and recommendations to be encapsulated adequately in a brief paragraph. Their diversity, however, highlights a key characteristic of the New England Journal of Public Policy – that of being open to publishing articles that have insightful bearings on how public policy is addressed, not only in the New England states, but throughout the country and in the international community – a community of nations increasingly interdependent with constraints on national sovereignty …

The Courier, June 2015, Tennessee. Historical Commission.

Tennessee Historical Commission

No abstract provided.

Epistemic Complexity In Adolescent Writing, Kristen Campbell Wilcox, Fang Yu, Marc Nachowitz

Educational Theory and Practice Faculty Scholarship

Increasing attention has been paid in recent years to the ways writing may engage adolescents in higher levels of epistemic complexity (i.e., postulating causes, reasons and other relations or theories related to scientific phenomena), yet in secondary science classrooms, writing has primarily been used for assessing students' content knowledge. Embedded in a larger national study of secondary writing in the United States, this study investigated the qualities of science writing samples collected from 33 adolescents attending schools identified for exemplary writing performance. We asked: How is epistemic complexity reflected in adolescents' writing?; How does the level of epistemic complexity differ …

The Intergenerational Transmission Of Noncognitive Skills And Their Effect On Education And Employment Outcomes, Ildefonso Mendez, Gema Zamarro

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

We use information on second-generation migrants to study the existence of a cultural component on the formation process of noncognitive skills and its effect on education and employment outcomes. Our measures of noncognitive skills include: personality traits that children are encouraged to learn and civic capital. Individuals whose cultural heritage places a lower value on child qualities positively associated to the conscientiousness personality factor report lower education, worse occupational status and lower wages on average. Individuals with a higher inherited civic capital declare a higher educational level, but we find no effect of civic capital on adult labor market outcomes.

Opportunities For Extension: Linking Health Insurance And Farm Viability, Shoshanah Inwood

Journal of Extension

Extension has a crucial role to play in educating Americans about their new choices under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). Health insurance is a cross-cutting issue that touches on multiple Extension program areas. This article draws on national survey research and interviews with farmers at the rural-urban-interface conducted prior to the ACA to consider the potential influence of the ACA on the food and agriculture sector and the role of both Agriculture and Consumer and Family Science Extension programing in assisting farmers with ACA reforms.

Rural Families In The Digital Age- An Inforgraphic, Guy Trainin, Ladonna A. Werth, Mary Masur

Research and Evaluation in Education, Technology, Art, and Design

This infographic describes the results of a survey in rural north Nebraska asking about family use of digital devices, their concerns and hopes for digital learning.

A Close Look At The Relationship Between Poverty And Political Violence In Nepal, Lauren C. Griffin

Global Tides

Today, one quarter of Nepal’s population of 27 million lives on a daily income of less than two dollars (Sharma 8). Villages are deprived of an ample water supply, and some areas still lie in ruins from the aftermath of the Maoist insurgency. This paper will seek to understand the role of poverty in the historically and presently unfolding political environment of Nepal. Several factors show direct correlation between poverty and insurgent activity, such as land ownership, level of education and socio-economic standing. Nepal has had a volatile and bloody past in the midst of medieval dynasties, an authoritative monarchy …