Digital Commons Network^™

Oral Health Education And Dental Care Access Of Families Of Children With Down Syndrome In New Mexico, Alayna Marissa Holcomb

Dental Hygiene ETDs

ABSTRACT

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the oral health education and dental care access of families of children with Down syndrome in New Mexico.

Methods: The data were gathered from a survey available to members of the Rio Grande Down Syndrome Network for 14 days containing 13 questions.

Results: The most reported age range for the individuals in care were 0-14 years at 41.6%. Most individuals with Down syndrome receive dental services every six months (62.5%) at a regular dental office (54.2%). Caregivers reported the individuals are taking 1-2 prescription medications (54.2%) and not aware of …

The Impact Of Electronic Health Record Unintended Consequences On Quality Of Care Within A High Complexity Healthcare Organization, Joetta Powell

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

“Unintended consequences are unexpected, and unwanted outcomes that can limit the value of EHR implementation and adversely affect quality of care and patient safety” (Lee & Kang, 2021, p. 898). Few organizations have redesigned the EHR to improve usability to mitigate potential patient safety concerns. This study aims to identify unintended consequences in patient care workflows and determine educational needs related to EHR usability. A mixed method approach was used to investigate unintended consequences in deidentified patient safety reports submitted Jan 1, 2020, through December 31, 2023. The data was analyzed to identify error types and educational deficits. The Acute …

Male Student's Perceptions In An Undergraduate Nursing Baccalaureate Program: A Qualitative Study, Jonas Arvin C. Sales

Honors Capstones

There remains a shortage of nurses in the United States. The nursing workforce is aging. Nursing remains majority female. Male nurses can fill the shortage, but men make up only 12% of the workforce. This qualitative study investigated the perspectives of male undergraduate nursing students regarding their education and healthcare roles, the factors contributing to the underrepresentation of men in nursing and explored ideas to attract more men to nursing. A focus group interview was conducted with 13 male baccalaureate nursing students currently enrolled at a midwestern university. Data was analyzed using thematic content analysis. The qualitative analysis generated five …

Texas Gothic, Taryn Uribe Turner

Art Theses and Dissertations

The emotional and the ecological combine to create my body of work titled, “Texas Gothic.” My thesis tells the stories of my oil paintings created through personal connections to a variety of landscapes, animals and experiences that share the setting of Texas.

Desire and regret take shape as animals and figures not fully formed or real. Unreliable narratives of the past are entangled with present tensions to create a painting that haunts and stalks.

And yet, there is hope!

Through nostalgia and sweetness and burdens, my paintings confront a shrouded future. The contradictions of time passing are explored in my …

Serving Children Experiencing Parental Substance Misuse In The Elementary Classroom: Training Modules For Pre-Service Teachers, Lauren Biando

Honors Theses

The purpose of this capstone is to explore how the needs of children whose parents misuse substances are often left unmet and to develop training modules for pre-service teachers. The need for teacher training on how to identify and intervene to meet students’ basic needs is essential as Maslow’s hierarchy of needs explains that children cannot build self-esteem, reach self-actualization, and focus on learning if their basic needs are not met. This capstone reviews the literature on the impacts that parental substance misuse has on children and the interventions that have been tried to help these children cope with the …

Climate Change In Mississippi: A Journalistic Exploration Of Education And Activism, Kala Nance

Honors Theses

Climate Change in Mississippi: A Journalistic Exploration of Education and Activism takes an investigative, journalistic approach toward climate change in Mississippi. Specifically, how education and awareness have a direct impact on Mississippi industries, people and legislation. The project explored the level of acknowledgement of climate change across the state, and how certain individuals used advocacy to encourage education about climate change to raise awareness of the severity of the situation. This project includes interviews with university professors and researchers, non-profit organizations, educational groups and working individuals in some of Mississippi’s largest areas of employment. Additionally, this project draws on research …

Premarital Counseling And Education Group, London Defender

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Relationship education programs were developed in the 1970s (Markman et al., 2013). Relationships and marriage require continual self-growth, learning opportunities, and partnership. This literature review discusses current marriage and divorce rates, approaches used in marriage counseling, effectiveness and limitations of premarital counseling, and techniques used during group counseling programs. Also included is an overview of a premarital psychoeducational and skills couples group along with the weekly sessions laid out with objectives, discussion topics, group and partner exercises, and handouts. The information utilized in the premarital couples group is derived from John and Julie Gottman’s Sound Relationship House Theory, as well …

School Leaders Supporting Undocumented Asian And Black Students, Lorena Tule-Romain

Education Policy and Leadership Theses and Dissertations

There are 5.6 million K-12 students who are either undocumented or living with at least one undocumented parent (Passel & Cohn, 2018). In 2021, FWD.us estimated that approximately 620,000 K-12 students are undocumented; 34% of these students migrated from countries in Asia, sub-Saharan African, and Caribbean countries. These students have unique needs in schools, such as support for lower frequency language services, wraparound supports, and classroom curricula that should account for their cultural heritages and traditions. While scholars have conducted research on the largest group of undocumented students, Latinx, existing knowledge of the students coming from Asian and African countries …

Translanguaging And Ethnolinguistic Identity: A Case Study Of A Hispanic Latine Family, Destiny Zhinin

Undergraduate University Honors Capstones

This case study focuses on the impact of the presence or absence of translanguaging in the educational environments of a Hispanic Latine family on their self-perceived ethnolinguistic identities. Translanguaging is the process where multilinguals use the full potential of their linguistic repertoire in their discourses. This includes the various vocabulary words, dialects, gestures, and other characteristics of their languages (Garcia, 2012, pg. 311). English monolingualism (knowing or only using English) discriminates against racial and ethnic minorities, labeling them incompetent, inferior, or even “un-American,” regardless of how systematically correct their English is. In contrast, translanguaging maximizes the opportunity for teachers of …

Social Justice Education And The Ela Classroom: A Love Letter To My Future Teaching, Azurrea Curry

Honors Theses

Social justice education can be defined in part as the equitable treatment and care of all students, as all have the right to education. It requires that we examine oppression and unjust systems to develop awareness of injustice in our lives, institutions, and overall society. Social justice education aims to develop empathy and tools for activism in order to teach students (and teachers) how to radically and positively interrupt oppressive patterns and behaviors in the world around us. Social justice education must work co-curricularly with statewide standards. Furthermore, it must also be rooted in the personal reflection of educators as …

Philanthropy In The Helping Profession: An Overview And Introductory Workshop Intended To Support Counselors And Counselors In Training, Matthew Higgins

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Many new counseling professionals enter the field with a deep understanding of the therapeutic relationship but lack knowledge of the financial realities that sustain counseling services. Traditional training prioritizes building rapport with clients, leaving a gap in understanding the business side of the helping profession. As the demand for therapy increases, particularly in the United States, it's crucial for counselors to explore innovative solutions to sustain the field in the long term. Integrating education on philanthropic support into counselor training offers a creative approach that would fall in line with the ACA Code of Ethics. While more research needs to …

Science Quest! An Educational Comic For Fifth Graders In Mississippi, Astra Hahm

Honors Theses

Astra Hahm: Science Quest! An educational comic for fifth graders in Mississippi (Under the direction of Dr. Joshua Eyler)

Science Quest! is an educational comic aimed at fifth graders in Mississippi to teach them science in a way that differs from how they learn science in class. The inspirations for the creation of Science Quest! are both my interests as a child and my vision of the future as an adult. During Sophomore year, I had the privilege of volunteering at Oxford Intermediate School, where I witnessed students play a variety of educational games, which reminded me of my childhood. …

Reconstruction Retold: Perspectives From 20th Century Us Secondary History Textbooks, Lyric Church

Honors Theses

Since the creation of the American public school system, the use of the textbook has been vital to history education. It has been the primary tool used by educators to teach children about the past to help them understand the present and shape the future. To this day, in the modern technological age, they are, still, used in classrooms across the country. This thesis investigates the effects of changing societal thought on United States history textbooks used in the secondary classroom, using the Reconstruction Era as the area of study. Analyzing multiple textbooks from each decade of the twentieth century, …

Around The World In 80 Days: Navigating Culturally Diverse Texts In Secondary English Education, Abby Boyer

Honors Theses

In the secondary English classroom, the inclusion of diverse texts holds importance in fostering a rich and inclusive learning environment that reflects the realities and complexities of our diverse world. Diverse texts encompass a wide range of voices, perspectives, and experiences that represent various cultures, races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, abilities, and socioeconomic backgrounds. By incorporating such texts into the curriculum, educators not only honor the diversity of their students but also provide them with opportunities to engage critically with different narratives, develop empathy, and cultivate a deeper understanding of the complexities of the human experience.
Moreover, diverse texts offer …

Two Districts, Five Miles Apart: A Comparative Analysis Of The Lauderdale County And The Meridian Public School Districts, Daneel Konnar

Honors Theses

K-12 public education in Mississippi has sparked much conversation and debate regarding the factors and forces that influence school performance on test scores, teacher pay and salaries, infrastructure, and student performance. Mississippi’s children deserve the best quality education and opportunities to grow into the best version of themselves. However, school districts across Mississippi within the same county are facing many disparities. The purpose of this study is to examine the disparities between the Meridian Public School District and Lauderdale County School District in Meridian. I interviewed seven school officials to gain perspective on the differences between the two school districts. …

Recidivism In Mississippi: Causes, Impacts, And Solutions, Grace E. Brian

Honors Theses

Because the United States is home to the largest prison population in the world, finding solutions to reduce the rate at which prisoners return to prison is paramount to helping reduce crime. Assessments of how Mississippi, the state with the highest incarceration rate, engages with access to prison education, barriers to employment, and youth incarceration compared to the national, Southern, and non-southern averages will be explored to direct recidivism reduction solutions. Results showed that Mississippi had a slightly higher recidivism rate than the national average, had fewer barriers to employment, and a lower youth incarceration rate than the national average …

Exploring Factors That Contribute To Stem Transfer Student Sense Of Belonging, Brittney R. Gallant, Cate Pocitari

Student Research Symposium

There is an ongoing disconnect between the number of students who enter college intending to earn a STEM degree and the number of students who persist to degree, this is particularly true for transfer students. Sense of belonging has been named as a STEM persistence factor, yet how that belonging develops for transfer students is largely unknown. Here we used a mixed-methods design to explore the experiences of STEM transfer students at PSU (n=38). Participants completed a survey prior to participating in an interview. The survey and interviews explored their science identity, sense of belonging, and involvement in STEM-related activities. …

Differences In Ninth Graders’ Attitudes Towards Math Depending On Immigrant-Generation Status, Karla V. Santana Martinez, Dara Shifrer

Student Research Symposium

Introduction

Math is a subject that is often perceived as challenging and sometimes referred to as a universal language because the symbols and organization are the same from country to country. However, immigrant students can face obstacles such as language barriers that can make math even more challenging regardless of the universal language belief.

Methods

This research integrates the data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 on 20,000 ninth graders. The ninth graders were asked questions about math and their feelings on the subject.

Results

Among students with the highest scores on the standardized math test, the math …

Promoting Student Engagement In Research In An Undergraduate Language-Development Course, Mitchell Kloer, Isabelle Trujillo, Teresa Roberts, Carolyn Quam

Student Research Symposium

This presentation will provide student perspectives on benefits of incorporating inclusive research activities within an undergraduate Speech and Hearing Sciences course. In Speech and Language Development in Children (SPHR 372U), instructor Quam incorporates a research project focusing on an issue of equity, inclusion, and social justice. One overarching goal is to reduce barriers of access to scientific research and increase engagement for college students, particularly those from historically underrepresented groups. The project is segmented into 3 steps that mirror literature review, critical analysis, and proposal. The project is collaborative, iterative throughout the term, and each step in the research process …

Stem Students And Faculty See Value In A Classroom Belonging Exercise, Kaisa S. Holt, Elizabeth A. Runkel-Baez

Student Research Symposium

Enhancing belonging in undergraduate STEM classrooms are pivotal for student success. This study examines a belonging exercise's implementation and impact in multiple STEM courses from 2017 to 2019. Faculty perspectives were gathered from a survey of 92 respondents, indicating a high level of perceived benefit (92%). Coded responses highlighted shared experiences and diversity mindset promotion. 30% explicitly mentioned benefits for both students and instructors. Additionally, 76% of faculty saw potential of belonging exercises in their own classrooms. It is important to promote using belonging interventions and also understand how STEM students perceive their value and utility. Three focus groups with …

On The Naming Of Identifiers: A Survey Of Undergraduate Students, Stacy Skalicky

Theses

Alsuhaibani et al. state that 60% of the participants do not have strict or any naming standards in the workplace and developers surveyed desired clear method naming standards to promote code comprehension [2]. Martin indi-cated identifier names are responsible for 90% of what makes software readable and understandable [25] . Borstler et al. indicated readability was important to developers at every level of experience but few report their academic influences being effectively leveraged to make quality identifiers [5]. Keuning et al. surveyed teachers in programming-related fields and found that code quality although important, was not a big part of their …

Dialectical Utopism In Architectural Praxis: A Critique And Vision For Spatial Revolution, Self Governance, And Social Transformation In Niger, Abdoulaye Idrissa

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

In January, amidst one of Niger's most turbulent periods of socioeconomic and political unrest, I departed from the chaos-laden streets that had become scenes of collapse and despair. As an architecture student, compelled by the urgency of the situation, I embarked on a journey to explore the transformative potential of architecture in the face of such crisis.

From the bustling streets filled with the disheartened faces of the unemployed to the frontline confrontations between government forces and disillusioned inhabitants, the disarray of law and order paints a stark picture of societal fragmentation. Yet, amidst this turmoil lies an opportunity for …

Dnp Final Report: Promoting The Self-Efficacy Of Caregivers Of Children With Seizures Using Evidence-Based Practice, Malorie Brooks

DNP Final Reports

Epilepsy is considered a widespread chronic illness, and it is estimated that approximately 1% of all children have the condition. Parents and caregivers of children with seizures experience fear and anxiety relative to their perceived confidence to manage their child's seizures after leaving the hospital. Evidence supports the use of simulation to educate caregivers to improve their perceived level of self-efficacy. The DNP Scholarly Project examined the impact of utilizing a simulation training session on the self-efficacy of caregivers of children with seizures at a large pediatric medical center in the southern United States. Caregivers of children with newly diagnosed …

Improving Ethics Surrounding Collegiate-Level Hacking Education: Recommended Implementation Plan & Affiliation With Peer-Led Initiatives, Shannon Morgan, Dr. Sanjay Goel

Military Cyber Affairs

Cybersecurity has become a pertinent concern, as novel technological innovations create opportunities for threat actors to exfiltrate sensitive data. To meet the demand for professionals in the workforce, universities have ramped up their academic offerings to provide a broad range of cyber-related programs (e.g., cybersecurity, informatics, information technology, digital forensics, computer science, & engineering). As the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) of hackers evolve, the knowledge and skillset required to be an effective cybersecurity professional have escalated accordingly. Therefore, it is critical to train cyber students both technically and theoretically to actively combat cyber criminals and protect the confidentiality, integrity, …

Power, Practice, And Potential: Social Protection And Adolescent Girls, Girl Center, Cash Transfer And Intimate Partner Violence (Ipv) Research Collaborative, Unicef

Adolescents and Young People

On March 12, 2024, the Population Council’s GIRL Center in collaboration with UNICEF and the Cash Transfer and IPV Research Collaborative, cohosted an event on the sidelines of the 68th Session of the Commission for the Status of Women (CSW68). The event brought together practitioners, researchers, adolescent girls, and representatives of governments and bilateral and multilateral organizations. Evidence on the impact of social protection and cash plus programs was highlighted. A panel of experts shared perspectives on evidence and critical actions needed to empower adolescent girls through cash plus social protection programs. This short report provides a summary of …

The Biltmore Forest School And The Establishment Of Forestry Education In America, Dan Barry Croom

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

The Biltmore Forest School, despite its unusual existence within the affluent Biltmore Estate, played a crucial role in the early 20th-century American forestry movement. Founded by Carl A. Schenck and supported by George Vanderbilt II, the school aimed to educate foresters and promote sustainable forest management. However, many aspects of the Biltmore experiment failed due to the new and untested nature of forestry science in America. This experiment exposed a fundamental divide in forestry education, with Gifford Pinchot advocating for conservation-centered teaching while Schenck believed in the economic viability of lumber production. Ultimately, the Biltmore Forest School offered valuable vocational …

Architecture Of The Second Sense: Inclusivity For Deaf Students, Lizzy Johnson

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Educational settings in the United States are primarily geared towards hearing individuals, posing challenges for those with hearing impairments. In 2020, 95% of school-age students with hearing loss attended conventional schools, while only 47 schools nationwide catered specifically to the deaf or hard of hearing. This oversight in design leads to issues such as inadequate spatial acoustics and limited sign language space in classrooms. My thesis proposes "Architecture of the Second Sense," advocating for a holistic approach to educational design, particularly targeting pre-kindergarten through 5th-grade schools. Drawing from phenomenological principles and the five key DeafSpace design elements—Proximity, Sensory Reach, Light, …

Experiences Of Dyslexic Students Learning A Second Language: A Review Of The Literature, Lauren Ricci

Senior Honors Theses

A systematic review of the literature was conducted to explore the experiences that college students with dyslexia face learning a second language in the classroom setting while studying at a private institution in Central Virginia. This literature review offers an analysis of the scholarly research related to this topic. The processability theory is discussed in the first section, followed by a review of recent literature on how dyslexia affects the brain’s processing, specific experiences of students, and how to best support these students in second language acquisition (SLA). Lastly, the literature surrounds phonological processing, working memory, specific struggles in the …

The Matthew Effect Within South Side Chicago Public Schools, Jazmin S. Hollingsworth

Honors Capstones

The Matthew Effect was first developed by sociologist Robert Merton (1968) to describe a phenomenon they observed whereby wealth and credit is distributed to individuals based on the wealth or credit they already possess. Keith Stanovich further developed this theory around poverty and effects on students, their learning, and in particular reading (1986). The name Matthew Effect comes from the Bible book of Matthew chapter 25: verse 29. "For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath." The dynamics of poverty …

S.M.A.R.T. Program Implementation To Promote Engagement And Participation In A School Setting, Emily Mickelson

Occupational Therapy Capstone Presentations

The purpose of this capstone project is to educate educational professionals on multi-sensory approaches and to implement the Stimulating Maturity Through Accelerated Readiness Training (S.M.A.R.T.) program to increase students’ engagement in academic learning. This project used pre- and post-tests to determine baseline knowledge. The occupational therapy student participated in S.M.A.R.T. training, and the junior kindergarten students participated in eight-weeks of S.M.A.R.T. program implementation. The students’ pre- and post-test assessments were completed by the students one-week pre-intervention and following eight weeks of program implementation. The educational professionals’ pre- and post-test assessments were completed by the kindergarten teachers before and after receiving …