Digital Commons Network^™

And All Those Jazz Hands! A Curricular Show Choir In An Elementary Public School: A Case Study, Anne Valadia Binkley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite the known benefits of adolescent participation in secondary music ensembles and the advantages of singing for elementary-aged students, researchers have yet to evaluate the positive effects of student participation in a public school elementary curricular show choir. The potential benefits of an elementary show choir in a public school can reveal more possibilities for music educators to involve students in relevant music-making. This study examines the perspectives of former elementary show choir members, parents, city officials, and elementary school administrators concerned with a public school curricular show choir. Respondents have shared views on benefits to students, families, and the …

Ontological Inquiry In An Undergraduate Communication Course, William B. Strean

Turning Toward Being: The Journal of Ontological Inquiry in Education

This essay explores how ontological and somatic approaches were applied in an undergraduate communication course. Beginning by contrasting the assumptions of traditional knowledge and skills-based approaches with the shift to a focus on being within ontological methods, the author expands to show specifically how somatics informed the learning activities and students’ development in communication. After providing examples of the core content of public speaking and interpersonal communication and shares students’ learning and feedback, the author concludes by considering broader possibilities for ontological inquiry and transformative education.

Teaching And Teachings Of Black Mixed Girls As Unveiling Femme-Centered Anti-Blackness In Us Education, Miranda Mosley

Culture, Society, and Praxis

Through a lack of Black-centered, Black-empowering policies and strategies (Dumas, 2016), Black people are overlooked in the US public education system. Though this general disregard (and disdain) for Blackness in the education system is found to keep communities segregated and result in higher rates of expulsion and punishment for Black students (Dumas, 2014; Wun, 2016), we know relatively little about how experiences shape identities for Black girls in their schools. For Black girls, and specifically Black mixed race girls, we do know that physical attributes like hair texture and skin color shift the girls’ sense of racial identity (Hunter, 2016) …

The Art Of Sustaining Orchestras Through Intentional Educational Experiences, Kimberly Souther

Dissertations, 2020-current

The purpose of this study is to identify the most current and successful advances in audience engagement that champion connection and result in sustainability through purposeful educational experiences.

The Symphony Orchestra currently serves an audience which represents a multiplicity of perspectives, background, and understanding. In an era of expanded canon and outreach to local communities, the orchestra must acknowledge that change is necessary if we are to truly create fulfilling experiences for our listeners. Unfortunately, many orchestras fail to connect their outreach to the concert hall, woefully categorizing their patrons into pre-determined subsets. What if all patrons were trusted with …

Las Honduras De Este Déficit Escolar The Pandemic And Its Impact On The Educational And Schooling Experiences Of Front-Line Responders Working At A Private High School In Honduras, Esther María Claros Berlioz

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

Centered on the testimonios,“a narration marked by the urgency to make public a situation of oppression or injustice and of resistance against that same condition” (Forcinito, 2016, p. 239) of four female frontline workers employed at a private bilingual high school in a city in Honduras, this ethnographic study provides details and themes about how these essential workers grappled with the shutdown and lengthy interruption of their children's face-to-face schooling. Offering insight into the contextual realities of Honduras and the differences and commonalities between private bilingual and private and public schooling institutions, this study relies on testimonio as a critical …

A Work Readiness Scale For Allied Health Graduates, Vidya Lawton, Emre Ilhan, Verity Pacey, Taryn M. Jones, Arlene Walker, Catherine M. Dean

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: The transition for allied health graduates from university to the workforce has been perceived to be difficult and overwhelming, leading to early attrition within healthcare professions. Work readiness is a crucial aspect of successful transition to the workforce, however, the elements of work readiness are not clearly defined. The purpose of this project was to refine the measurement of work-readiness in allied health graduates. Method: A 62-item Work Readiness Scale for Allied Health Professionals (WRS-AH), based on a work readiness scale for a generic population of graduates, was validated and refined using an exploratory factor analysis. Results …

A Scoping Review Of Wrist-Worn Wearables In Education, Noah L. Schroeder, William L. Romine, Sidney E. Kemp

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Within the past ten years, the public's use of wearables, such as smartwatches and fitness trackers, has greatly increased. Recently, researchers have published systematic reviews to examine how wearables are used in educational settings. However, not all wearables are alike. Head-mounted wearables and exoskeletons may be viewed as invasive, whereas smartwatches and wristbands are commonly worn by the public. In this scoping review, we systematically review the literature around wrist-worn wearables (WWs) in educational settings. Our systematic search revealed 1,932 unique research items, of which 46 met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. Our findings reveal the trends in the …

Give Love With Lovenox: Improving Nurse Education On Lovenox Prophylaxis To Reduce Pulmonary Embolism Risk On The Postpartum Unit, Jennifer G. Domingo Rn

Master's Projects and Capstones

This quality improvement project aims to improve nurse education about Lovenox prophylaxis to reduce the risk of pulmonary emboli – post-discharge – amongst high-risk postpartum women who underwent vaginal and cesarean deliveries on the family baby unit. This project took place in a Family Baby/Postpartum Unit at Hospital SC. This unit has a total of 25 beds with an increased prevalence of pulmonary embolism following cesarean delivery. Nurses were given anonymous pre- and post-survey questionnaires and provided educational sessions with distributed handouts. A unit needs assessment was conducted using the 5 P’s. Out of the 72 nurses on the staff …

We Have Arabic At This School?: The Impact Of Neoliberalism And Orientalism On Arabic Education In The United States, Ella V. Pastore

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This research examines Arabic education in the United States at the undergraduate level, highlighting the question: How do forces such as Orientalism, globalization, and neoliberalism affect the way that the Arabic language is taught and recognized in the United States? The Arabic programs of three highly accredited American universities are presented, in relation to their Japanese programs. While Japanese is a language that faces its own Orientalisms and imperial history with the West, Japan is currently not a country that is prioritized through national security interests, with Arabic being designated as a “Critical Language”. Through examination of the advertisement of …

Implementing An African American Cultural Awareness Program For Skilled Nursing Facility Staff, Adekemi T. Adedipe

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Background: Patient care is most effective when patients and providers establish a therapeutic connection in a cultural context. Nurses’ lack of awareness of a cultural context for patient care impairs establishing a therapeutic provider/patient relationship, with care of lesser quality and poorer health outcomes as consequences.

Local Problem: Staff at a Northern Californian skilled nursing facility (SNF) caring for African American patients with mental illness lacked self-awareness of the cultural context of care. Staff did not consider cultural constructs of care in treating patients and developing care plans.

Methods: Educational intervention to increase the cultural competence of a skilled …

Optimal Tax Theory For Investment In Human Capital And The Role Of Family, Sylwia Radomska

Studia i Materiały Wydział Zarządzania Uniwersytet Warszawski

Purpose: Parents spend more than half of all education expenditures on children’s education, thus the role of the family cannot be omitted in determining the optimal educational policy. The main aim of the article is to present economic literature on optimal taxation with human capital, focusing on studies concerning the impact of the family (parents) on the investment in children’s human capital. Design/Methodology/Approach: Insights from two workhorses are reviewed: the RAMSEY approach and the MIRRLEES approach. The literature in the field considers two instruments: Income-Contingent Loans (ICL) and Education Subsidies (ES). Results from theoretical and simulation studies are summarized. Findings: …

From House Party To World Dominance: Celebrating 50 Years Of Hip Hop: A Bibliography, Cassandra Chaney

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

In 2023, the culture celebrated the 50th birthday of Hip Hop. While there is an ongoing argument of when Hip Hop started, Hip Hop culture marked Clive “DJ Kool Herc” Campbell’s legendary 1973 party at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, NY as the day to commemorate its humble beginnings. This work provides a bibliographical list of published articles, interviews, book reviews, forthcoming books, and live performances from various artists that made a major impact on Hip Hop. In particular, the bibliography highlights the mark that Hip Hop has made on fashion, the economy, language, and the unique contributions that …

Living Among Wildlife: Elevating Human-Wildlife Interactions And Coexistence, Bridget Rebecca Murphy

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

After a semester of learning, both in class and in nature, my writing honed in further on this human-nature divide. To me, I see humans as part of nature – as we are mammals, animals, part of the food chain, biological beings no higher than others on our planet. We have simply constructed this false narrative around us within our societies, minds and media that embeds this division between us and nature, between us and wildlife. Humans have been managing, stewarding, living off and within landscapes for thousands of years. As time and technology evolved, a lot of people began …

Feasibility Of Using Podcasts For Knowledge Dissemination To Reduce Health Disparities For Women Targeting Preventative Initiatives And Lifestyle Medicine Interventions, Kristin Stovern

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Project

The purpose of this feasibility project was to look at podcasts to shed light on the issues that affect the well-being of women with gender-based disparities in healthcare. Women face persistent obstacles when it comes to the quality of healthcare they receive. One of the barriers that has been ever-present is with failure of the medical system to rigorously study the effects of diseases and drugs on women or to fund studies on women’s health conditions. Implicit biases and lack of access to care inhibit the quality of healthcare. Collectively, these issues result in unnecessary sickness, disability, and decreased quality …

Barriers To Hiring And Retaining Educators In New Hampshire, Melissa N. Fazlic

M.S. in Leadership

The COVID-19 pandemic brought to light the teacher shortage; however, school districts across the country have faced shortages for many years. While the state of New Hampshire is not alone in the shortage of teachers, New Hampshire faces additional barriers when it comes to recruiting and retaining a diverse group of certified educators. This project explores barriers to hiring educators that include: the demand for teachers, the COVID-19 pandemic, teaching reciprocity challenges, budget constraints and low wages, and local competition. The methodology used includes a combination of research using online tools such as Google Scholar, the UNH virtual library, and …

Building Bridges In The Bronx, Hari Adivarekar

Capstones

Exploring information and advocacy needs in The South Bronx.

The Bronx is one of the most poorest districts in the whole country. It is also severely neglected by city agencies compared to other boroughs in New York City. Often Bronxites are left to fend for themselves. But they never crumble in this crucible of music and culture.

My project used performance and cultural education to connect with South Bronx communities and understand their advocacy needs. This was executed through a multi-pronged approach, done in collaboration with The Bronx Music Heritage Center. and their parent organization, WHEDCO (Women's Housing and Economic …

Beyond The Bell: Rebuilding Care, Civic Learning And Creativity Within Youth Spaces, Michelle R. Haapala

Masters Projects

The purpose of this research is to investigate high school age students’ opportunities within formal classroom settings to engage in care, civic learning, and creativity within a suburban, publicly-funded charter school. This study used thematic analysis and coding methods to organize and find patterns in the qualitative data from surveys distributed to education professionals at Canton Preparatory High School in Canton, Michigan. The goal is to establish a foundation of the perception of care, civic learning, and creativity within school environments and classroom settings. Overall, education professionals rated these categories positively, but with a closer investigation, a disconnect is found. …

Teaching Anne Finch In "Partisanship In Restoration And Eighteenth-Century Britain", Jennifer Wilson

ABO: Interactive Journal for Women in the Arts, 1640–1830

The works of Anne Finch, a writer doubly exiled as a female poet and Jacobite, stand out as eminently teachable examples of a compelling political outsider view that provokes us to consider how we can better attend to perspectives of principled opposition. Her poems in response to what has been called the "first modern revolution," together with her odes upon the deaths of King James II and Queen Mary Beatrice, showcase the subversive power of indirect articulation, expressing values through emotions and affects in veiled forms such as allegory and alternate history.

Challenging Florida’S Parental Rights In Education Act, Aka The “Don’T Say Gay” Law: Finding Equality Through Equal Protection Doctrine, Nelson Garcia

University of Miami Race & Social Justice Law Review

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of The Efficacy Of Disciplinary Methods, William Hewitt

Masters Projects

The practice of punitive discipline is the most common response to misbehavior in American school systems, despite having no evidence to support its continued use. However, there is research that demonstrates its active harm to students in multiple capacities. Punitive discipline has been found to only exacerbate students’ behavior issues, as well as negatively impact their academic performance. Additionally, research has pointed out that punitive discipline impacts students of minority demographics at a significantly higher rate than students belonging to majority demographics. More research in the way of alternative restorative policies, such as Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS), is …

The Role Of Social And Personal Competencies In Quality Teacher Instruction, Jane Blair Laoo

Ed.D. Dissertations

Despite the appropriate and high level of concern about providing high-quality core instructional practices and educating the whole child, teacher stress and inability to understand and manage emotions stood in the way of making progress. Teaching is a highly stressful profession. Researchers highlighted the need for interventions to enhance teacher abilities and promote student success, particularly in understanding social and personal competencies. The purpose of my qualitative, interpretive study was to explore elementary school teachers’ perceptions of social and personal competencies in public K-12 rural Tennessee schools to determine how schools supported teacher social and personal competencies as a way …

Acs, George, Sophia Maier Garcia

Bronx Jewish History Project

George Acs was born in Hungary and was brought, as a three year old, to the United States in 1957, after his parents fled the Hungarian Revolution in 1956. His mother’s cousin, who survived Auschwitz with her, had an apartment in the Bronx and they moved in with her upon arriving in the United States. Eventually they would live on 174th Street and Southern Boulevard, which was a Jewish area but in the process of transitioning by the time they moved there in 1957 until they left in 1964 and moved to Lydig Avenue off Pelham Parkway, which was Jewish …

Culturally Responsive Education: Creating A Safe And Inclusive Environment For Lgbtq+ Students, Kassidi M. Adams

Masters Projects

This paper explores research that discusses the impact of a culturally responsive education and lack-of for LGBTQ+ students and recommends a solution to ensure all students are safe and represented in schools. The research cited varies in their definitions and uses of the term LGBTQ+. This paper will use the term LGBTQ+, an abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and more communities; however, the abbreviation used in the referenced research may be shortened to LG, LGB, LGBT, or LGBTQ to reflect only specific communities included in LGBTTTQQIAAP (VandenBos, 2015). This paper will also focus on inclusion, which refers to …

Thomas Jefferson: Slavery, Education, And The Public Mind, Brendan Lenahan

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Thomas Jefferson’s autobiography reveals his continual struggle against slavery and his frustration at the resistance of the “public mind” in Virginia, predominantly composed of slave-owning aristocrats. Despite vocal condemnations of slavery, attempts to translate his anti-slavery stance into formal documents faced significant resistance from the society he aimed to change. Even within the House of Burgess, Jefferson's support for a bill allowing individual slave owners to free their slaves was met with contempt. His draft of the Declaration of Independence, condemning the King for slavery, was revised by delegates, impeded by both northern financiers of the slave trade and southern …

Improving Teacher Retention Within Archdiocese Of Washington Schools, Denise M. Ball

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this applied study was to solve the problem of teacher retention for the Archdiocese of Washington Schools and to design training to address the problem. Specifically, this study solicited input from teachers to help define and or identify (1) the need for teacher retention, (2) what type of school environment they work in, and (3) how a school environment affects teacher retention. Individual teacher and focus group interviews were conducted, and a survey was utilized for data collection and analysis. The measurement instruments captured data on target teachers regarding school environment/climate and job retention, specifically, years in …

A Comparative Study Of The Effects Of Lessons From Music Theory Websites On The Engagement Levels Of Fifth Grade Students, Casey Artis

Masters Theses

The purpose of this correlative research study is to determine if a significant difference exists between fifth grade students learning from musictheory.net and those who learn from 8notes.com. Student engagement and achievement will be measured after they have finished interacting with their assigned music website. The study will explore the relationship between music technology and student engagement and achievement in the music classroom. The results of the study will help music educators add to their list of tools for teaching music with technology and provide them with more data about technologically enhanced student achievement and engagement. It is important for …

Chronic Absenteeism: Exploring Causes, Impacts, And Interventions In Education, Arlee M. Hoag

Masters Projects

Chronic absenteeism among students presents a significant challenge within the educational landscape, impacting academic performance and contributing to educational disparities. This research delves into the multifaceted issue of chronic absenteeism, aiming to identify its root causes, implications, and potential interventions. The study examines diverse factors influencing student attendance, including socioeconomic barriers, health conditions, transportation challenges, and their subsequent impact on academic achievement. Moreover, it explores the inequities prevalent in absenteeism, aiming to shed light on disparities among student populations.

Full Issue: Journal On Empowering Teaching Excellence, Volume 7, Issue 2, Fall 2023

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

The full-length Fall 2023 issue (Volume 7, Issue 2) of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version (with downloadable EPUB format) here.

The Fall 2023 issue presents research and guidance on topics related to educational adaptation. The first article by C. Farrell describes an adaptation of the interteaching method to the hybrid delivery method. The second article by C. C. Loose and R. Jagielo-Manion describes a study of modules on personalized learning to preservice teachers and its impact on their comfort level and preparation to implement personalized learning in their classrooms. The third article by B. …

The Effects Of Education On Influenza Vaccination Uptake, Jazzlyn Lawson

MSN Capstone Projects

Influenza is a viral illness that occurs internationally and peaks in prevalence during the months of October to May. There are several types of influenza viruses: Influenza A, B, C, and D (CDC, 2023). Vaccines are available in the United States as early as the start of the flu season to those who wish to receive it. The influenza virus types covered by the annual flu vaccine include Influenzas A and B types (CDC, 2023). The influenza vaccine is recommended by the CDC with the intent to limit the occurrence and spread of influenza each year. Symptoms of influenza consist …

Enhancing Antenatal Education In Pakistan: An Audit And Recommendations, Maliha Abbas, Shelina Bhamani, Yasmin Kanjani, Lumaan Sheikh

Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Background: Antenatal Education equips parents with knowledge for safe maternal health and infant care. It also reduces fear and anxiety during childbirth. ANE curriculum can vary according to country and institute. It can include classes focusing on childbirth, pain relief techniques, mode of birth, parenting, breastfeeding, breathing techniques, etc. Although ANE is widely practiced in developed countries, there is no standard program in developing countries like Pakistan. This study aims to improve antenatal education at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan potentially proposing an upgraded curriculum as a national standards
Methods: This multiphase study used mix-method design was conducted …