Digital Commons Network^™

Lack Of Quantitative Training Among Early-Career Ecologists: A Survey Of The Problem And Potential Solutions, F. Barraquand, T. G. Ezard, P. Søgaard Jørgensen, Naupaka B. Zimmerman, S. Chamberlain, R. Salguero-Gómez, T. J. Curran, T. Poisot

Biology Faculty Publications

Proficiency in mathematics and statistics is essential to modern ecological science, yet few studies have assessed the level of quantitative training received by ecologists. To do so, we conducted an online survey. The 937 respondents were mostly early-career scientists who studied biology as undergraduates. We found a clear self-perceived lack of quantitative training: 75% were not satisfied with their understanding of mathematical models; 75% felt that the level of mathematics was “too low” in their ecology classes; 90% wanted more mathematics classes for ecologists; and 95% more statistics classes. Respondents thought that 30% of classes in ecology-related degrees should be …

Measuring The Effects Of An American Physiological Society's Phun Week Activity On 2Nd Grade Students, James Edelman

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the last few years the United States has been on the decline in the fields of science and technology. The American Physiological Society (APS) has developed a program to engage young minds with scientists. Physiology Understanding Week (PhUn) is the APS initiative to use interactive experiments to engage school-age children with science and physiology. Even though PhUn Week has been going on since 2005, systematic assessment of the activities effects is rare. Here, we sought to assess if an APS PhUn Week activity enhances physiology understanding and interest in science in second grade children form a rural area. The …

Perceived Vs Actual Clinical Performance Of Athletic Training Students, Joseph C. Rosauer

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Context: Research has suggested a knowledge gap exist within the healthcare community. Identifying potential knowledge gaps and the use of self-reflection can be used to decrease these gaps can affect patient outcomes. Objective: To determine if knowledge gaps do exist within athletic training student's (ATS) clinicalEducation. Design: Longitudinal non-experimental retrospective study. Subjects: 141 mid semester evaluations of sophomore ATS over a four year period. Main Outcome Measures: We assessed potential knowledge gaps of ATS in the clinical setting. We calculated the difference between a preceptor evaluation of the student and student's self-evaluation using a One-way ANOVA. We also looked to …

How High Achieving Elementary Schools Improve Struggling Readers, Kimberly C. Hartlage

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to exploreEducational elements that explain how high-achieving elementary schools improve struggling readers. The perceptions of the principals and teachers in three high achieving elementary schools were investigated in three areas of interest: (a) student achievement as it relates to literacy instruction, (b) early intervention leading to success, and (c) the role of school leaders who build a culture for success through change. All three schools that participated in the study were located in the state of Indiana. The topics of the related literature reviewed included a connection of reading instruction to student achievement …

Engaging In Pneumatic Mission Praxis, Robert L. Gallagher

Papers

No abstract provided.

A Study Of Student Perceptions Of Exemplary Instruction And Servant Leader Behavioral Qualities, Richard C. Setliff Jr.

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined students' perceptions of certain servant leader behaviors associated with either typical or outstanding instruction. Five servant leadership dimensions were considered: altruistic calling, emotional healing, wisdom, persuasive mapping, and organizational stewardship. Two groups of 300 students attending a midsized university located in the Midwest participated in the survey. The instrument used was based upon the Servant Leadership Questionnaire developed by Barbuto and Wheeler (2006). Four of five servant leader qualities: altruistic calling, wisdom, organizational stewardship, and persuasive mapping had some measure of explanatory power. A low participation rate by students adversely affected observed statistical power and was a …

An Investigation Into The Traits Of And Strategies Used By Highly Effective Teachers, Stephanie J. Ciolli-Stewart

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the traits of and strategies used by highly effective teachers. Two research questions were presented in this study: What are the traits of highly effective teachers? and What strategies are used by highly effective teachers? Elementary school principals in the Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corporation in Evansville, Indiana, were asked to recommend one to two highly effective teachers. After a thorough review of principal recommendations, participants were considered based upon gender, years of experience, and grade level or subject area taught. Once the participant selection process concluded, dates for six onsite classroom observations …

The Balanced Approach To Literacy Instruction In Middle Schools, Tenicia Rae Helmberger

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if the frequency in which middle school teachers implement research based literacy strategies serve as predictors of success on the English/ Language Arts portion of ISTEP+. The study looked at research based strategies in fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary. Teachers of English, Language Arts, Social Social Studies, Science, and a combination of the above subjects were surveyed. The seven questions were posed relating to the frequency of implementation per quarter. The study was split into two files, high poverty and low poverty schools. Of those teachers surveyed, teachers in low achieving, low poverty …

The Impact Of Racial Identity On Self-Esteem And Academic Achievement Among African American Adolescent Female Students, Ke'shana Y. Griddine

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Utilizing a critical race theory perspective, I investigated how racial identity relates to self-esteem and academic achievement. The sample consisted of 100 African American female adolescents (age 13-17) who lived mostly in the Western regions of the United States. The Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity-Teen and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale were administered to assess racial identity profiles and levels of self-esteem. Grade point averages were collected via self-report as a means of capturing academic achievement. The data were analyzed using cluster analysis with a follow-up MANOVA. The cluster analysis using the combination of hierarchical and non-hierarchical methods resulted in a viable …

Hot Yoga Establishments In Local Communities Serving Pregnant Women: A Pilot Study On The Health Implications Of Its Practice And Environmental Conditions, Viann N. Nguyen-Feng, Steven L. Feng, Shilpa Babbar, Nicole Calloway Rankins, James D. Blando

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Hot yoga establishments have been increasing in popularity in local communities. Studios may support participation among pregnant women though no clinical studies currently exist that examine prenatal hot yoga effects. The pilot study described in this article aimed to assess the spread of prenatal hot yoga and to provide information on the environmental conditions and practices of those who engage in hot yoga within a local community. A thermal environment meter was used to measure ambient air conditions during three 90-minute hot yoga classes. Mothers who practiced prenatal hot yoga were more likely than non-hot yoga practitioners to have someone …

Transforming Teaching For Mission: Educational Theory And Practice: Anthropological Considerations For Mission Education Among Different Ethnics In Myanmar, Cope Suan Pau

Papers

No abstract provided.

I Be Goin Places: Sociolinguistic Assimilation In A Baltimore Boarding School, Kade Doyle Needham

Theses & ETDs

I performed sociolinguistic ethnographic research at The SEED School of Maryland, a statewide public boarding school targeting students whose socioeconomic status hinders their academic potential. During the participant observation, I interviewed staff, teachers and students while collecting written and spontaneous speech samples from the classroom, dorms and cafeteria. The situationally-specific frequencies of AAVE-marked and AAVE-unmarked English measures assimilation into both academic and boarding school culture, offering a nuanced insight into the dimorphic social world of the students. In the end, I relate behavioral and linguistic developments to teaching styles, motivational tactics and the discipline system.

An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Michigan Department Of Education School Achievement Rankings And School's Percentage Of Economically Disadvantaged Students, Nicholas E. Ceglarek

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to compare the Michigan Department of Education’s (MDE) school ranking system, the Top to Bottom Ranking, to the school’s percentage of economically disadvantaged students as measured by the percentage of free and reduced-price lunch. In addition, finding that a correlation exists, the study sought to identify an alternate method of reporting school effectiveness, taking into consideration the school’s percentage of economically disadvantaged students. Utilizing the current Top to Bottom Ranking system, the Michigan Department of Education assigns an array of requirements, sanctions, and rewards, depending on where a school building ranks. This ranking …

Proactive Protection: How The Idea Can Better Address The Behavioral Problems Of Children With Disabilities In Schools, Patrick Ober

Belmont Law Review

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (“IDEA”) needs to be amended to proactively promote positive behavioral interventions and reduce unnecessary and highly dangerous uses of restraint and seclusion. The IDEA purports to advance these goals, but in reality the relevant provisions of the IDEA require behavioral plans only as a reactionary measure to violent or disruptive behavior. This Note proposes an amendment to the IDEA to address these problems proactively.

Prison Education And Our Will To Punish, Kaia Stern

Saint Louis University Public Law Review

No abstract provided.

Interaction Between Climatic, Environmental, And Demographic Factors On Cholera Outbreaks In Kenya, James D. Stoltzfus, Jane Y. Carter, Muge Akpinar-Elci, Martin Matu, Victoria Kimotho, Mark J. Giganti, Daniel Langat, Omur C. Elsi

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background:

Cholera remains an important public health concern in developing countries including Kenya where 11,769 cases and 274 deaths were reported in 2009 according to the World Health Organization (WHO). This ecological study investigates the impact of various climatic, environmental, and demographic variables on the spatial distribution of cholera cases in Kenya.

Methods:

District-level data was gathered from Kenya’s Division of Disease Surveillance and Response, the Meteorological Department, and the National Bureau of Statistics. The data included the entire population of Kenya from 1999 to 2009.

Results:

Multivariate analyses showed that districts had an increased risk of cholera outbreaks when …

The Education Lorenz Curve: Exploring Education And Social Mobility In A Lorenz Curve Framework, Nichole D. Alexander

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Within any society the level of social mobility, the distribution of income, and equality of opportunity work together to determine the ease with which a child born into poverty can make it to the middle class during his or her lifetime. Education plays a large part, if not the largest part, in the analysis of these areas within a given society. Therefore, an equal distribution of education among those born into all income levels is one key ingredient to ensuring that all children who are born into poverty get the same chance of succeeding in the workforce as their more …

Sabbatical Leave Proposal, Angela Jancola

Sabbaticals

I request sabbatical leave for the fall 2014 semester. I have worked as a full time employee of Parkland College for almost fourteen years. The goal of my sabbatical is to become reinvigorated and update my counseling skills so that I may continue to provide counseling services to students to the best of my ability. As a counselor, I provide academic, career, personal counseling, and crisis intervention as needed. In the last five years our department, the college, and in schools across the country, there has been a marked increase in the number of students presenting more complex mental health …

All Of A Sudden: The Role Of ἘξαίΦνης In Plato's Dialogues, Joseph J. Cimakasky

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There are thirty-six appearances of the Greek word ἐξαίφνης in Plato's dialogues. Usually translated as "all of a sudden" or "suddenly, " ἐξαίφνης emerges in several significant passages. For example, ἐξαίφνης appears three times in the "allegory of the cave" from Republic vii, and heralds the vision of the Beautiful in Symposium. Commonly translated in the Parmenides as "the instant, " ἐξαίφνης also surfaces in a crucial section of the dialogue's training exercise. This dissertation demonstrates the connection obtaining between the thirty-six scattered appearances of ἐξαίφνης in order to reveal the role it plays in linking Plato's theory of ideas …

Simulation: The Effects Of Simulation On High Stakes Testing In Undergradute Nursingeducation, Linda Walters

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many nursing programs use standardized testing packages in order to evaluate students' content mastery as well as predict probability of passing the National Council Licensure for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). Instead of a diagnosis for weak content areas, programs implement testing policies in the belief that such policies ensure student success on the NCLEX-RN examination. In addition to the use of the standardized examinations to ensure success on NCLEX-RN and in subsequent Registered Nurse (RN) practice, most nursing programs use simulation to prepare students for practice. What is not known is whether simulation promotes better content mastery as students' progress through …

Between Bleakness And Hope In A Large Urban School District Culturally Responsive Pedagogy In Special Education, Kamilah Aisha Williams

ETD Archive

This qualitative case study explored the experience of teachers in special education settings within an urban district in the Midwest. The particular emphasis of the study was to attend to efforts used by teachers to address the issue of equality of opportunity in special education settings serving low-income students of color. Using a case study approach, the research explored what barriers teachers see as getting in the way of equal educational opportunity and how teachers reduce barriers of inequality for their students. In particular, the study looked at the ways in which educators facilitate equality by creating opportunities for students …

Cleveland State University (Csu) Employees' Perceptions Of Wellness At The Workplace, Seander C. Garner

ETD Archive

The purpose of this study was to assess office workers' perceptions of workplace wellness programs (WWP). Significant: The significance of this study is to determine the relationship between workplace wellness and the influence it has on employees. Methods: An email was sent to 365 employees that participated in the Workplace Wellness Program at Cleveland State University (CSU). Flyers were posted on campus and participants were solicited by word-of-mouth. The fifteen (N=15) respondents were interviewed to assess their attitudes and perceptions regarding a workplace wellness program. Findings: Two-thirds (66 ) of the participants interviewed described their overall health as good but …

Caring For People With Disabilities Perspectives In Medicine Fall 2014, Ingrid C. Hendrix, Sarah Knox Morley, Katherine Schultz

Publications

No abstract provided.

Circling The Wagons And Shooting Inward: Understanding How Nursing Administrators Approach The Policy Process, Jill M. Moore

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to develop an understanding of factors that nursingEducation executives in higherEducation believe are essential to influencing and implementing sound policy decisions. This study sought to answer the following: (a) what characteristics and skills do nurse administrators in higherEducation believe are essential to positively influencing the policy-making process, and (b) what organizational features do these nurse executives believe impede or facilitate their ability to influence policy processes? This study utilized an exploratory qualitative design representing a collective case study. The sample selection was purposive and included in-depth interviews with nurse educators who had at …

Female Administrators Perceptions Of Distance Learning, Marydee A. Spillett, Mary Ann Mundy, Lori Kupczynski, Rebecca Davis

Center for Research Quality Publications

Gender disparity is evident in tenure track and tenured faculty positions at universities. However, distance education may provide more supportive environments for female academicians to grow and develop. The term distance learning is used to encompass any type of instruction delivered off campus. Distance learning has increased dramatically and has gained strategic importance possibly presenting women with a new realm for advancement. Leaders in distance learning must have qualities such as good listening skills, be understanding, engage in collaboration, be cooperative, demonstrate openness, have interpersonal sensitivity and empathy; attributes traditionally associated with females. This qualitative study utilizing a survey design, …

Sickle Cell Pain And The Care And Support Of Children, Adolescents, And Teens With Sickle Cell Disease (Scd) At Therapeutic Recreation Summer Camps, Jacob Arthur Albanese

Theses & ETDs

Therapeutic recreation summer camp programs can benefit individuals undergoing treatment for chronic and/or life-threatening illness in a number of ways, as they provide a break for caregivers, interaction with other campers facing similar difficulties, and an opportunity for physical activity. While current therapeutic recreation programs are beneficial, there are ways in which the staff/volunteers of therapeutic recreation summer camps can be better educated regarding the physical, psychological, social, and economic pain in order to best support campers with sickle cell disease (SCD). In this thesis I explore the social construction of sickle cell disease as a racial disease in the …

Gardens As Educational Tools In Urban Public Schools, Michelle Diane Wheat

Theses & ETDs

Urban public school education has become increasingly decontextualized from the natural world over time. This causes a division within students that impacts how they learn, what they learn, and their mental health. Children's knowledge is increasingly devoid of environmental awareness. In addition ADHD, depression, and obesity have been linked to this separation. These problems are exacerbated by a culture of standardized tests motivated by financial concerns, and the gearing of education toward career preparation. Children learn to fear nature and reap none of the benefits that immersion in nature can foster. School gardens, especially in urban areas, can provide a …

An Examination Of Principals In Effective High-Poverty Middle Schools With High Achievement, Rhonda J. Mull

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative, multi-site case study was to observe and examine the strategies, techniques, and leadership styles of principals in effective middle schools with high poverty and high achievement. This study focused on defining a core of specific strategies utilized by staff members in these schools. Two high-poverty middle schools in Indiana that have done an exemplary job of attaining high scores on the state's standardized test were examined. Data for this research was collected via interviews of the school's principal, leadership team, and teachers. Classroom observations and teacher department meetings were also conducted. After the staff interviews …

Advance Directives Educational Program For Nurses, Rose R. Pappas

Theses and Graduate Projects

Advance directives (AD) are legal documents outlining a patient's preferences for treatment at the end of life. AD allow people to communicate their end-of-life (EOL) decisions about medical care to family, friends, and health care professionals in the event that they are unable to make those decisions themselves. Many nurses observe patients and their families waiting until the patient is at the end of their life before they initiate an AD. With the current rate of aging baby boomers in the United States, AD would appear to be a phenomeron that should be encouraged. Assisting patients with completion of AD …

Trauma Informed Nursing Care For Women Who Are Marginalized: An Educational Workshop, Jenna Fadlalla

Theses and Graduate Projects

Traumatic events profoundly affect both the physical and emotional health of a woman who endures the event. Gender, socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic disparities in rates of trauma exist showing that women who are marginalized are at a higher risk for trauma. Nurses are privileged to provide care for these women in their greatest times of need, yet despite the intimate relationship between nurses and their patients, trauma is a topic that remains largely unaddressed by the field of nursing. Because trauma can have such a profound effect on health, it is essential for nurses of all specialties and at all …