Digital Commons Network^™

Pilot Evaluation Of An Internet Educational Module For Agricultural Safety, Charles V. Schwab, Steven A. Freeman

Journal of Extension

An important component of the safe operation of agricultural equipment is the ability to read and understand universal symbols. The Internet educational module is designed to help participants recognize these symbols. The impact of using it was evaluated using a field trial study. Assessment consisted of pre- and post-tests. Youth who had access to it averaged an improvement 29 points higher on the post-test than that of the control group. Overall, the Internet learning environment increased participants' ability to recognize universal symbols faster and more accurately. The study serves as a model for supplementing Extension programming with Web-based educational material.

Generic Wish-Lists For State-Centric Policies, Edzia Carvalho

Human Rights & Human Welfare

The Central America depicted in the article under review resembles a region visited by the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse—colonial Conquest, civil War, Famine and other natural disasters, and poverty, disease and Death. Added to this list of woes are the recent drug-fueled conflict, democratic instability, weak state capacity, and the socio-economic fallout of the economic recession in the United States. While the first half of the article records these problems, the author shifts gears in the second half and provides an array of responses to these challenges, with a forceful recommendation that states in the region focus their efforts …

Slides: Bmps For Reclamation: Do We Know What Is Effective?, Peter Stahl

Best Management Practices (BMPs): What? How? And Why? (May 26)

Presenter: Pete Stahl, Wyoming Reclamation and Restoration Center

19 slides

What Do You Expect? : An Investigation Of How Caffeine Expectancies Affect College Students' Cognitive Performances, Katie Alyse Berg

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Caffeine use is common, but few studies have examined how the expectancies that people hold about caffeine relate to the effects they experience after consuming it. My study examined how typical caffeine consumption and students' expectancies about how caffeine generally affects them influence their decisions about caffeine use as well as their performance on memory and attention tests. I hypothesized that expectations about how caffeine affects students would interact with their beliefs about how much caffeine they had consumed to impact performance on tests of attention and memory. Undergraduate students were divided into four groups: high consumption and high expectancy, …

Integration Experiences And Youth Perspectives: An Exploratory Study Of School-Going Somali Youth In Melbourne, Australia And Minneapolis, Minnesota, Yusuf Sheikh Omar

Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies

No abstract provided.

Higher Education, Research, And The Future Of Nevada, Neal J. Smatresk, Ronald Smith

UNLV Innovation

"May you live in interesting times.”

This Chinese proverb comes to mind lately, as we are indeed living through some interesting times at UNLV.

Pre-Kindergarten And Kindergarten Teachers' Perceptions Of Kindergarten Readiness, Joshua Aaron Bressler

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference in perception between pre-kindergarten and kindergarten teachers on kindergarten readiness. In addition, this study sought to find out if there was any difference in PEAK assessment scores between those students who attended pre-kindergarten versus those students who did not attend pre-kindergarten.

The instruments used for this research were the Pascagoula Early Assessment for Kindergarten (PEAK) scores and the Kindergarten Readiness Questionnaire. The PEAK scores measured students‟ readiness by assessing their knowledge on language, writing communication, math, and fine motor development from the onset upon entering kindergarten. The …

News Capsule, Academy Of Student Pharmacists - University Of The Pacific

News Capsule

No abstract provided.

Scandinavian Dream: A Region’S Common Philosophical Principles Resulting In Equality, Prosperity, And Social Justice, Remy Christopher Ansiello

Master of Liberal Studies Theses

Common philosophical principles formed by the three Scandinavian nations of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden developed through a shared past. Over the centuries this region’s historical, social, economic, and religious ties paved the way for a belief-system based on egalitarian ideals. By the beginning of the 20th century these egalitarian ideals formed the unique social welfare system Scandinavia has in place, benefiting citizens from the day they are born throughout their entire lives. This welfare system centers on the principle that both men and women are fully equal; furthermore society has a moral and legal obligation to remove all barriers preventing …

The Impacts Of Drinking Alcohol, Using Marijuana, And Smoking Cigarettes As A Teenager On The Educational Attainment And The Income Of Young Adults, Thomas Carnot

All Theses

It is widely believed that activities such as drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, and using marijuana during the teenage years have a harmful effect on a youth's development, thus damaging his or her value in the labor market once the individual reaches adulthood. There have been several studies in the past that have looked into the consequences of partaking in such activities during both the adult and college years, but this paper will investigate how the use of alcohol, marijuana, and cigarettes at the age of 16 affects the average individual's future income and the amount of education completed by the …

Bmi Trajectories During The Transition To Older Adulthood: Persistent, Widening, Or Diminishing Disparities By Ethnicity And Education?, Katrina M. Walsemann, Jennifer A. Ailshire

Faculty Publications

Previous research has produced inconsistent results on whether education and ethnic disparities in BMI persist, widen, or diminish over time. We investigate how education and ethnicity, independently and conditionally, influence BMI trajectories during the transition to older adulthood. Employing random coefficient modeling, we analyzed 8 biennial waves of data (1992-2006) from the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative longitudinal study of individuals born between 1931 and 1941. After adjusting for health behaviors and health status, education and ethnic disparities in BMI persisted for most groups, but narrowed between high-educated white men and both low-educated Hispanic men and high-educated black …

Understanding Autism, Kaileigh J. Sweeney

Senior Honors Projects

Understanding Autism

Kaileigh Sweeney

Faculty Sponsor: Carolyn Hames

Autism spectrum disorders are greatly misunderstood in today’s society.  In the United States, it is estimated that 1 in 110 children are diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.  Despite this high prevalence, a great deal of the population is under the impression that a diagnosis of autism is straight forward and indicative of one set of devastating signs and symptoms.  However, the severity of this disorder can range from mild to severe. According to the National Institute of Health, an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a range of complex neurodevelopment disorders characterized …

Currere, Illness, And Motherhood: A Dwelling Place For Examining The Self, Michelle C. Thompson

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation is a pathography, my experience as a mother dwelling with illness which began because of my son's illness. The purpose of this dissertation is two-fold: to examine my Self as a mother dwelling with illness so that I may begin to work through repressed emotions and to further complicate the conversation begun by Marla Morris (2008) by illuminating the ill person's voice as one which is underrepresented in the canon. This dissertation is written autobiographically and analyzed psychoanalytically. The subjects of chaos, the Self, and motherhood are examined as they apply to my illness. In addition to psychoanalysis, …

Evaluation Of A Medication Reconciliation Practice Change In Primary Care, Laura L. Danals

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Statement of the Problem and Significance: Inaccuracies in patients' medication lists in primary care are safety concerns. Extensive research has been conducted on medication practices and patient safety within the hospital; however, the research for primary care is sparse.;Study Design: Lippitt's Change Theory was utilized as the theoretical framework. The project design was based on evidence derived from the 2008 The Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goals. The study was performed over a period of three months. Pre-intervention data was gathered and analyzed for the use of current electronic medication records. The healthcare team was educated on the electronic medication …

The Eagleville Times,Volume 9, Issue 5, Debbie Ryan

Eagleville Times

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Environment On Children's Motor Scores, Eligibility Status, And Administration Times, Derrick Mittelstadt, Abigail Parker, Kirsten Pickett, Heather Temkin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Best practices for assessing developmental skills in young children focus on naturalistic observation in everyday settings, but the effects of environment on test scores, eligibility status and administration time have not been explored. The Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-Second Edition (PDMS-2) was administered to 34 children aged 18 to 59 months in natural and pull-out settings. PDMS-2 total, gross, and fine motor quotient (TMQ, GMQ, and FMQ) scores were significantly lower in the natural environment (p’s≤.014). Based on our results, more children would qualify for services when tested in natural environments using TMQ and GMQ scores. It also took significantly longer …

The Relationship Between Participation In Extracurricular Activities And Utah's Proficiency Assessments Of Students In A Suburban School District, Everett N. Kelepolo

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to discover whether a relationship exists between participation in extracurricular activities and meeting Utah proficiency assessment standards. This study took place in a suburban school district in the state of Utah.

Throughout the history of public education, economic hardships have wreaked havoc on school systems that depend on public sources of income. Schools today are managing these budget restraints by reducing or eliminating extracurricular programs.

The relationship between academic success and participating in extracurricular activities is found concretely in the research data. However, schools must make budget decisions which place activities and academics in …

It's A Matter Of Principal: Examining Relationships Between Leaders' Change Facilitator Style And Students' Academic Progress, Diane Lewis

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

At no other time in the history of American education have school principals been faced with as many challenges as today. The era of accountability has increased the daily pressures of leading a school, while responsibility for student achievement is at an all time high.

Some studies have examined a leaders’ impact on teacher behaviors. Fewer studies have examined the possible impacts that principals have on student learning. In this study, leadership research was reviewed; not only in education, but in business, sports, and other fields. The traits and styles of leaders were explored in an attempt to define the …

Resilient Leadership In High Poverty Schools, Edward P. San Nicolas

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Children in high poverty schools often receive inadequate services in dilapidated facilities while enduring inexperienced and unprepared educators (Darling-Hammond, 2004). Communities with a dense impoverished population in turn create school wide poverty, which is ultimately more detrimental than individual family poverty (Books, 2004). With most teachers leaving impoverished urban schools within the first five years, it is no surprise of the difficulty to retain qualified and professional school leaders. As suggested by Haberman (2005), attracting educators with specific qualities to fill these critical roles may be the best route to lasting success. Equally important is the possibility to transform existing …

A Relational Study Of Elementary Principals' Leadership Traits, Teacher Morale, And School Performance, Carla Jean Raines Evers

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to determine if a significant relationship existed between elementary principals' leadership traits and teacher morale. The study sought to identify the impact of the principal-teacher relationship on school achievement as it relates to student performance on state standards as outlined in the Mississippi state academic frameworks and as measured using the Quality of the Distribution Index (QDI) on the Mississippi state end-of-grade test, Mississippi Curriculum Test, Second Edition (MCT2). The end-of-year assessments, collectively known as MCT2: Reading-Language Arts and Mathematics, administered to students in grades 3 through 8 in the spring of each school …

Fostering Positive Classroom Environments: The Relationship Between Teacher Qualifications, Facility Management, And Perceptions Of Leadership On Student Outcomes, Bryan Allan Marshall

Dissertations

This study attempted to determine the effectiveness of schools that have highly qualified teachers, along with a well managed facility, and the administration’s perception of the leadership role as an instructional specialist on the outcomes that students displayed. Also, the relationship between two instruments used to determine the quality of school facilities was measured. The findings of this study indicated that all three factors used to determine teacher quality had significant relationship at the .05 alpha level to QDI or Quality Distribution Index. The three categories were teacher advanced degree, teacher national board certification, and teacher highly qualified status. For …

The Adult Education Doctorate In North America: The Programs, Curricula, Websites, And The Commission Of Professors Of Adult Education Standards, Wendy Jean Sonstrom

Dissertations

A list of programs that offer a doctorate in adult education was created using the most recent edition of Peterson’s Graduate Programs in Business, Education, Health, Information Studies, Law & Social Work (2010) and the most recent version of the Commission of Professors of Adult Education (CPAE) Directory of Adult Education Programs in North America (Pierce, 2008). A list of programs was then reviewed by the membership of the CPAE utilizing the organization’s listserv. Program information was collected from each program’s website, and the researcher then reviewed the list of programs for three core adult education courses (adult learning theory, …

Assessing The Interrater Reliability Of The Assessment Of Pediatric Resuscitation Communication (Aprc), Alyssa Cerroni

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of this study was to further validate the Assessment of Pediatric Resuscitation Communication (APRC), by establishing the interrater reliability of the instrument. The aim was to determine if the APRC instrument can be used by trained coders from a range of disciplines to assess the communication effectiveness of trauma team members and leaders during pediatric trauma resuscitations. These scores will be used to determine if team and leader communication is correlated with medical performance during trauma resuscitations. The sample included 8 participants from diverse backgrounds. A calculation of the Percentage of Agreement (1996) of 4 pediatric resuscitations was …

The Impact Of Parental Military Status On The Achievement, Attendance, And Attitudes Of Fourth Grade Students, Melba Hooker

Student Work

Military service men and women provide security and services both locally and globally. These services sometimes require deployment and separations of active duty military personnel away from their families. These separations and the subsequent stresses could be substantial in the lives of younger children. Not only can these students be affected emotionally, but the achievement, attendance, and attitudes of these fourth grade students in this study are compared to fourth grade nonmilitary students to evaluate the differences between the two groups. How does the fourth grade military student group measure up to their counterpart?

To address this question, the researcher …

Per Pupil Spending: How Much Difference Does A Dollar Make?, Nicole Anderson

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Education. The one thing everyone needs and no one thinks is good enough. Wherever students and policy makers turn there is the desire for something more, something better, coming out of the public education system. Over the years more and more funding has been poured into the education system in attempt to increase the student success rates and intellect of American students. However, American students are still behind internationally and more and more jobs are going to students from different countries. Is there a point when the money being funneled into education doesn’t make enough difference in student achievement and …

Utah Preschool Outcomes Data System, Sandeep Venigalla

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

In the State of Utah, both state and federal government agencies work together to provide special education services to eligible children. An important part of this effort is to document the effectiveness of the program, which can be measured in terms of the outcomes, namely, the progress of the individual children. This information can help identify both strengths and weaknesses of special education programs within the state, which in turn can lead to program improvements and better allocation of resources. This report describes a software system that supports the tracking of child and program outcomes for special education within Utah. …

At-Risk Hispanic Students' Perception Of Afterschool Programs: A New Model Targeting The Needs Of English Language Learners, Cynthia Wise Galvan

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of this study was to explore 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) as support systems for at-risk Hispanic youth. Expanding upon previous theories that analyzed afterschool programs and bilingual programs separately, this study sought to understand how 3rd, 4th and 5th grade at-risk Hispanic youth attending the 21st CCLC, Afterschool Centers on Education, perceive the afterschool programs in a small school district in South Texas. The study analyzed five afterschool program constructs pertaining to what literature says are best practices for afterschool programs and bilingual programs inclusive of safety, self-esteem, interactive, and engaging, language, and cultural characteristics. This …

A Case Study Of Spanish Language Use In A Texas Border Colonia, Maria E. Diaz

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This case study reveals a Spanish language marginalization in a South Texas community of mostly Latinos, who are the fastest growing group in the U.S. (Colombi & Roca, 2003); furthermore, approximately 77% of English language learners (ELLs) have Spanish as their heritage language (Hopstock & Stephenson, 2003). Nevertheless, ELLs do not receive much academic literacy support in their first language in many schools (Zehler et al., 2003). Thus, out-of- school social practices play an important role on maintaining a native language (e.g., Burrows-Goodwill, 2009; Reyes, 2006). However, researchers have not explored this phenomenon in Texas border colonias, or unincorporated areas …

Relationship Among Superior-Subordinate Communication, Job Satisfaction, And Internal Customer Satisfaction In Higher Education, Tanzeer Ahmed

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relationship among supervisor-subordinate communication, job satisfaction, and internal customer satisfaction in higher education. The participants in this survey included 171 university staff serving not in a supervisory role. Relationships between internal customer satisfaction and supervisor-subordinate communication, employee job satisfaction and supervisor-subordinate communication, and internal customer satisfaction and employee job satisfaction were examined. The three hypotheses predicted in this study were supported. Results of the study are discussed. Conclusions, limitations and topics for further research are addressed.

Exploring The Growth Of Text-Reading Fluency In Upper-Elementary English Language Learners During Instruction Based On Repeated Reading, Katharine Staub Harrison Edd

Dissertations

For the large population of school-age English language learners in California and the United States, the challenge of learning a second language while learning academic content is formidable. Learning to read English skillfully is key to their success. Reading instruction focused on development of oral text-reading fluency has shown strong potential for accelerating the general reading achievement of native-English-speaking children, but there is a lack of concomitant research on English language learners. This dissertation describes a formative experiment with the goal to improve, in 9 weeks, the general reading achievement of 17 English language learners in Grades 3, 4, 5, …