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Electronic Theses and Dissertations

2017

Duquesne University

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Determining The Specific Transition Needs Of Military And Veteran Students (Mvs), A Qualitative/Mixed Methods Study, Donald Accamando Jan 2017

Determining The Specific Transition Needs Of Military And Veteran Students (Mvs), A Qualitative/Mixed Methods Study, Donald Accamando

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A number of challenges await military and veteran students (MVS) as they make their way to college campuses. These non-traditional students will transition to an environment different from the one they experienced while serving. This problem exists because a majority of the post-secondary schools across the country are not prepared to assist with their transition.

An initial review of the literature related to a veteran student’s transition to college has shown that very few colleges and universities offer a transition program developed specifically for this non-traditional student group. This has led to the formulation of two research questions:

1. What …


A Cacrep-Informed Counselor Educator Developmental Model: Identifying Counselor Skills And Supports Needed For Neophyte Counselor Educators, Ryan Bowers Jan 2017

A Cacrep-Informed Counselor Educator Developmental Model: Identifying Counselor Skills And Supports Needed For Neophyte Counselor Educators, Ryan Bowers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The field of counseling has been undergoing radical change for the past 40 years as it changes with the demands of the population and as new problems arise with changes in societal needs. Groups such as the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs are working to create a program of counselor education that is singular and comprehensive to meet the needs of these changes. This mixed-methods study explored skills and supports that are needed to help counseling education students become effective future counselor educators. The researcher introduces a model of counselor educator development that will help to …


The Relationship Between Testing Frequency And Student Achievement In Eighth-Grade Mathematics: An International Comparative Study Based On Timss 2011, Ufuk Guven Jan 2017

The Relationship Between Testing Frequency And Student Achievement In Eighth-Grade Mathematics: An International Comparative Study Based On Timss 2011, Ufuk Guven

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between quiz frequency and student achievement in eighth-grade mathematics as measured by TIMSS. The more specific goal of the study was determining the best quiz frequency (daily, weekly, monthly, no quizzes) and student achievement relationship for an eighth-grade mathematics course. The study investigated the above-mentioned relationship in all of the eighth-grade of participant countries combined, as well as in four specific countries: Korea, Singapore, Turkey, and the United States. Another goal of the study was to determine high performing and low performing countries’ quizzing practices, and to determine the best …


Counselor Education Unplugged? An Exploration Of Current Attitudes Surrounding The Use Of Online Learning As A Modality In Graduate Counselor Education, Eric James Perry Jan 2017

Counselor Education Unplugged? An Exploration Of Current Attitudes Surrounding The Use Of Online Learning As A Modality In Graduate Counselor Education, Eric James Perry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation qualitatively investigates counselor education faculty perceptions regarding online courses or programs and the overall perception of counselor education faculty regarding the effectiveness of online learning. A total of 154 counselor educators completed the CEATOLS instrument, a survey designed to capture demographic information, perceptions of effectiveness of online learning in counselor education, and concerns related to online learning in counselor education. Results indicate that, overall, counselor educators have a markedly lower perception of the effectiveness of online counselor education courses than of traditional Analysis of the concerns expressed by counselor educators reveal a five-factor structure similar to that which …


My Do Over: A Case Study Of An Intentional Focus On Relationship Building, By The School Leadership, In A Newly Formed School, Jean Marie Livingston Jan 2017

My Do Over: A Case Study Of An Intentional Focus On Relationship Building, By The School Leadership, In A Newly Formed School, Jean Marie Livingston

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The closing of public schools is occurring each school year in cities across the country. This case study will look at one public school that endured the closure of three school buildings and the reconfiguration of the entire school district during the 2015-2016 school year. The main focus of this case study was on one building in this district and the question to be answered was, “Does an intentional focus on relationship building, by the school leadership, influence school culture and instructional practice in a newly formed school?” The literature will discuss school closures and the impact on stakeholders, grief …


Job Satisfaction And Empowerment Of Self-Employed Nurse Practitioners: A Mixed Methods Study, Catherine Lyden Jan 2017

Job Satisfaction And Empowerment Of Self-Employed Nurse Practitioners: A Mixed Methods Study, Catherine Lyden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background and Purpose: Self-employed nurse practitioners (NPs) have been part of the American health care landscape since the 1980s, owning practices throughout the United States. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experience of self-employed NPs, focusing on their level of job satisfaction and perceived level of empowerment.

Methods: The study was a convergent-parallel designed, mixed-method study, utilizing a survey and semi-structured interviews. The survey included the Misener Job Satisfaction Survey (MJSS) and Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire II (CWEQ-II)

Conclusions: A total of 142 surveys and 13 interviews were completed and analyzed. Nurse practitioners in private …


The Lived Experiences Of School Counselors Participating In Yoga: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study Of Self-Care, Susan Giovengo-Gurrera Jan 2017

The Lived Experiences Of School Counselors Participating In Yoga: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study Of Self-Care, Susan Giovengo-Gurrera

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experiences of school counselors participating in yoga. The primary objective of this research was to gain a thick, rich understanding of how school counselors experience the practice of yoga. A secondary objective of this study was to gain an understanding of how the regular practice of yoga can serve as a method of self-care for school counselors. This qualitative, phenomenologically-oriented study employed van Manen’s (1990) four lived existentials, Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) bio-ecological model of human development, and current mindfulness literature as its theoretical underpinnings.

School counselors regularly face many issues that …


Toward A Theory Of Action: Opportunities Embedded In Counseling Theory For School Counselors To Improve Their Perceptions Of And Approaches Toward Their Relationship With Their School Principals, Stephanie A. Mchugh Jan 2017

Toward A Theory Of Action: Opportunities Embedded In Counseling Theory For School Counselors To Improve Their Perceptions Of And Approaches Toward Their Relationship With Their School Principals, Stephanie A. Mchugh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study employed perceptions of school counselors relative to their relationships with their principals in order to investigate a theory of action that employs the skills and strategies embedded in counseling theory to identify courses of action that counselors can use to improve the principal-counselor relationship. School counselors attending national and state counselor conferences (N=31) responded to a prompt asking for the perceived strengths and weaknesses of their principal-counselor relationship, and the barriers they perceived to improving the relationship. Responses were analyzed using a close reading process that applied a strengths-weaknesses-opportunities-threats (SWOT) framework to the responses and identified emergent themes …


Perceptions Of Care During The Prenatal Period: An Ethnonursing Study Of African American Childbearing Women In The Military Health System, Thecly Hines Scott Jan 2017

Perceptions Of Care During The Prenatal Period: An Ethnonursing Study Of African American Childbearing Women In The Military Health System, Thecly Hines Scott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: The military health system (MHS) offers prenatal care at no-cost, but African-American women eligible for prenatal care still have low/no/late utilization. No studies have sought to understand factors that influence African American women’s use of early and continuous prenatal care or their perceptions of the care they received in the military health care system. The purpose of this research was to understand how African American women in the MHS perceived their care during the prenatal period. Methodology: An ethnonursing study was conducted in two military treatment facilities. The sample comprised 21 informants. Findings: Leininger’s Four Phases of Ethnonursing Data …


Perceptions Of Disability, Identity, Agency, Goal Attainment, And Young Adult Disability Programs, Rachel Elizabeth Kallem Whitman Jan 2017

Perceptions Of Disability, Identity, Agency, Goal Attainment, And Young Adult Disability Programs, Rachel Elizabeth Kallem Whitman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Youth with disability are oppressed and marginalized by a dominant cultural narrative called ableism (Adams, Reiss, and Serlin, 2015; Campbell, 2015 as cited in Adams et al., 2015). Challenging ableism is a matter of social justice. Without serious attitudinal shifts and the removal of systemic barriers, our youth with disabilities will continue to experience negative outcomes and underdeveloped agency. This study was conducted to provide a more detailed look into how adults with disabilities, who participated in disability advocacy programs as youth, perceive their past involvement with such programs in relation to defining their disability, identity, and capacity for agency. …


Exiles On Main Street: A Pedagogy Of Popular Music Through Technology And Aesthetic Education, Jordan Mroziak Jan 2017

Exiles On Main Street: A Pedagogy Of Popular Music Through Technology And Aesthetic Education, Jordan Mroziak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the application of instructional technology within the specific context of popular music education. Synthesizing the work of Mishra & Koehler (2006) and Bauer (2014), this dissertation operationalizes a broader, more contemporary definition of instructional technology that goes beyond the traditional conception of mere instructional tool towards one that is more protean, unstable, and opaque. Research questions about technology’s impact on music education are central to this curriculum study and evolve into considerations on how the relationship of popular music and instructional technology shape a pedagogy for popular music education. Making use of principles rooted in aesthetic education, …


The Utility Of A Theoretical Framework Of A Culture Of Leadership, James E. Wortman Jan 2017

The Utility Of A Theoretical Framework Of A Culture Of Leadership, James E. Wortman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to determine the utility of a Culture of Leadership Framework for both evaluating and contributing to the formation of a dynamic school culture that infuses leadership up, down, and throughout the membership of the school learning community with students as a central figure. The Culture of Leadership Framework emerged from an extensive review of the literature and includes four distinct dimensions (indicators) that become critical to analyzing the data: Leadership Orientation, Leveraging Leadership, Leadership for Learning, and Leadership Growth. The researcher used a general interpretive process of close reading to develop themes from extant …


Techno-Salvation: Developing A Christian Hermeneutic Of Enhancement Technology, Richard Landrum Wilson Jan 2017

Techno-Salvation: Developing A Christian Hermeneutic Of Enhancement Technology, Richard Landrum Wilson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A cadre of scientists, philosophers, and ethicists labeled transhumanists and posthumanists argue that by strategic use of technology we can greatly enhance human beings into our next stage of evolution. Rather than leave the evolutionary process to natural results, transhumanists and posthumanists want to shape humanity to meet our own desires. This direct goal of changing human beings has profound implications for Christian faith and practices. At the same time, there is no reason to think that the utilization of technological enhancements will not happen. As such, to best meet the challenge, it is unavoidable for Christians to engage transhumanism …


Self-Efficacy And The Interaction Model As Predictors Of Student Satisfaction And Perceived Learning In Online Learning Environments, Emtinan Alqurashi Jan 2017

Self-Efficacy And The Interaction Model As Predictors Of Student Satisfaction And Perceived Learning In Online Learning Environments, Emtinan Alqurashi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to explore the relationship between four predictor variables (online learning self-efficacy, learner-content interaction, learner-instructor interaction, and learner-learner interaction) and student satisfaction and perceived learning. The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which the four variables are predictive of student satisfaction and perceived learning. A total of 167 students completed the survey; the survey assessed self-efficacy for completing an online course, interaction with the content, interaction with the course instructor, interaction with other students, student satisfaction, and perceived learning within an online learning environment. The independent variables were self-efficacy, learner-content interaction, learner-instructor interaction, and …


Youth Bear Witness To Mentoring Of The Black Church For College Readiness, Mary Louise Buckley Jan 2017

Youth Bear Witness To Mentoring Of The Black Church For College Readiness, Mary Louise Buckley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation in practice examines the college readiness of five African American high school male students in urban schools in Pittsburgh, PA based on their participation in a middle school mentoring program sponsored by an urban Black church. Situated within Michael Dantley’s critical spirituality theory and critical race theory, the author analyzed youths’ counter-narrative experiences of being mentored for college readiness in the Black church. The students had informal conversations with the researcher using a grounded theory approach to the semi-structured interview format. Students found mentors to be relatable advocates to their lived experiences in schools. In addition, the mentoring …


Cultural Care And Inviting Practices: Building Relationships In An Urban Elementary School. Teacher Perspectives In Forming Positive Teacher-Student Relationships Based On Care And Equity, Eva J. Allen Jan 2017

Cultural Care And Inviting Practices: Building Relationships In An Urban Elementary School. Teacher Perspectives In Forming Positive Teacher-Student Relationships Based On Care And Equity, Eva J. Allen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation in practice investigates teacher perceptions of the influence of cultural care and invitational education (IE) on the formation of a positive teacher-student relationship with students of color in an urban elementary school. Cultural care is a theory of practice that utilizes a social-emotional approach for school improvement and to promote positive student outcomes. It is defined as a verbal or nonverbal gesture that displays a genuine interest in another person’s social, emotional, mental, and physical well-being; simultaneously recognizing and acknowledging race and culture as a vital part of a person’s identity. Cultural care must include respecting, valuing, and …


An Investigation Of A Peer Coaching Model On The Professional Learning And Teacher Self-Efficacy Of Elementary Literacy Teachers, Amy M. Dellapenna Jan 2017

An Investigation Of A Peer Coaching Model On The Professional Learning And Teacher Self-Efficacy Of Elementary Literacy Teachers, Amy M. Dellapenna

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reading is one of the most important foundational skills for academic success, yet the teaching of reading is very complex. There is a need to support teachers with ongoing professional learning for quality literacy instruction. Peer coaching can be a meaningful, personalized, job-embedded form of professional learning for teachers (Robbins, 2015). The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to investigate the effects of a professional learning series about peer coaching on teachers’ individual self-efficacy for teaching literacy, teachers’ perceptions of collective efficacy, and teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about peer coaching as a model for professional learning. The participants involved were …


Refugee-Led Organizations And The Obstacles They Face: A Comparative Study Of Syria Bright Future And The Bhutanese Community Association Of Pittsburgh, Priscila Elizabeth Cordoba Montoya Jan 2017

Refugee-Led Organizations And The Obstacles They Face: A Comparative Study Of Syria Bright Future And The Bhutanese Community Association Of Pittsburgh, Priscila Elizabeth Cordoba Montoya

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the nexus of our collective history, it has been recorded that human-induced political and social conflicts play a powerful role in displacing millions of people. The social insecurity produced by conflict persists long after they have ended, as refugees adjust to new circumstances, cope with loss, and attempt to regain a sense of normalcy. This study focuses on two distinct refugee-led organizations, namely a Syrian and a Bhutanese organization. These organizations operate in distinct stages of resettlement, in different parts of the world—one in a state of emergency, the other in resettlement in the United States. However, both organizations …


Trauma And Aggression In Juvenile Offenders, Cassandra M. Berbary Jan 2017

Trauma And Aggression In Juvenile Offenders, Cassandra M. Berbary

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Indirect aggression has been found to be more common among females than males and may be an unconsidered contribution to aggression shown in delinquent girls. Although there are no research studies to date that have investigated the link between relational aggression and law violations, there are some studies that have considered indirect and overt aggression in females; however, this research has been largely inconclusive. An additional obstacle for offenders is the presence of previous traumas, which has been closely linked to both overt and indirect aggression. Although both males and females in the juvenile justice system are likely to have …


An Examination Of Different Motivational Orientations That Drive Graduate Students To Continue/Complete Their Education In The U.S, Cebrail Karayigit Jan 2017

An Examination Of Different Motivational Orientations That Drive Graduate Students To Continue/Complete Their Education In The U.S, Cebrail Karayigit

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Different types and levels of motivation can play an important role for graduate students to continue their studies. The current research study was one of the few studies that examined if domestic and international graduate students differ on their level of different motivational orientations to continue their education. This study employs a quantitative research design intended to investigate different types of psychologically based motivational factors that contribute to international graduate students’ motivation toward completing their programs, in particular in relation to domestic students. More specifically, this study is guided by two prominent theories of motivation, Self Determination Theory (SDT; Deci …


Perceptions And Predictions With School Climate: Analyzing The Comprehensive School Climate Inventory, Danielle Cimorelli Jan 2017

Perceptions And Predictions With School Climate: Analyzing The Comprehensive School Climate Inventory, Danielle Cimorelli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Through multiple regression and analysis of variance, data from the Comprehensive School Climate Inventory was used to understand the following: 1.) the predictive ability of student perceptions of safety on overall school climate; 2.) the relationship between geographic location and school climate; and 3.) the predictive ability of geographic location and school type on overall school climate. Participants were elementary school students, grades PreK through 8, from 30 elementary schools across the country, with approximately 4,500 student responses. Results showed that students’ perceptions of school safety predicted 80% of the variances in connection to ratings of school climate. There was …


The Lived Experience Of Trauma Counselor Supervisors, Nancy N. Fair Jan 2017

The Lived Experience Of Trauma Counselor Supervisors, Nancy N. Fair

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Trauma is ubiquitous in our society, taking a costly toll on the physical and psychological well-being of individuals across all social strata, and creating an ever-increasing need for better understanding of how to help the victim survivors.

The purpose of this current study addresses an aspect of that need for understanding by examining the lived experiences of clinicians who have learned about trauma and who are addressing trauma survivors’ needs by acting as supervisors for other clinicians. This qualitative, phenomenologically oriented study used van Manen’s (1990) four lived existentials, Bronfenbrenner’s (1979, 2005) bio-ecological model of human development, and existing trauma …


Improving Metacognitive Awareness And Authentic Teaching Practices Through Scaffolding Goal Setting And Reflective Practices With Ecd Majors At The Community College Level, Melanie Renee Yeschenko Jan 2017

Improving Metacognitive Awareness And Authentic Teaching Practices Through Scaffolding Goal Setting And Reflective Practices With Ecd Majors At The Community College Level, Melanie Renee Yeschenko

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research set out to enhance instruction for early education and child development majors in a community college setting in a manner that allows them to gain content knowledge while becoming more prepared to practice effective pedagogy in early learning classrooms. This study examined how metacognitive awareness changes throughout a semester with scaffolded goal setting and reflective practices. It investigated the types of goals students set for a specific learning task, as well as investigated their ability to apply reflective practice to their own learning and teaching practices. This research used a mixed method design to data collection with quantitative …


Examining The Moderating Effects Of Racial Socialization On Teacher Discrimination For The Psychological Outcomes Of Black Middle School Girls, Kayla Nichols Jan 2017

Examining The Moderating Effects Of Racial Socialization On Teacher Discrimination For The Psychological Outcomes Of Black Middle School Girls, Kayla Nichols

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A hierarchical multiple regression was used to understand the 1) the predictive ability of teacher discrimination on racial identity, 2) the predictive ability of teacher discrimination and racial identity on the educational beliefs and psychological outcomes of early adolescent Black girls, and 3) if egalitarian messages of racial socialization moderate the risk of teacher discrimination on the psychological outcomes for early adolescent Black girls. Participants were 8th grade Black girls from Wave 3 of the MADICS dataset (Eccles, 2010). Results showed that teacher discrimination had a negative relationship and predicted 5% of the variance in connection to heritage, educational beliefs, …


Does Speech-To-Text Assistive Technology Improve The Written Expression Of Students With Traumatic Brain Injury?, Michaela Ann Noakes Jan 2017

Does Speech-To-Text Assistive Technology Improve The Written Expression Of Students With Traumatic Brain Injury?, Michaela Ann Noakes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Traumatic Brain Injury outcomes vary by individual due to age at the onset of injury, the location of the injury, and the degree to which the deficits appear to be pronounced, among other factors. As an acquired injury to the brain, the neurophysiological consequences are not homogenous; they are as varied as the individuals who experience them. Persistent impairment in executive functions of attention, initiation, planning, organizing, and memory are likely to be present in children with moderate to severe TBIs. Issues with sensory and motor skills, language, auditory or visual sensation changes, and variations in emotional behavior may also …


Social Metacognition In Computer Supported Collaborative Learning Environments: A Comparison In An Online And Face-To-Face Information Literacy Course, Marcia Elizabeth Rapchak Jan 2017

Social Metacognition In Computer Supported Collaborative Learning Environments: A Comparison In An Online And Face-To-Face Information Literacy Course, Marcia Elizabeth Rapchak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Because of the advances in technology for education, online learning has become more prominent, especially in higher education. Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) seems especially promising in allowing students to work together in ways that they have not been able to before, both face-to-face and online. Instructors use CSCL to engage students and to increase learning. CSCL requires that students regulate each other’s learning through social metacognition; this allows the group as a whole to make use of the knowledge and skills of the group as they learn.

The purpose of this study was to compare the social metacognition of students …


Core Values Of A Benedictine Education, Sr. M. Christine Lauzon Pinto, O.S.B. Jan 2017

Core Values Of A Benedictine Education, Sr. M. Christine Lauzon Pinto, O.S.B.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine a High School Student Handbook of an all-girls Benedictine school to determine its degree of alignment with the Rule of St. Benedict (RB). Christ is the foundation of the existence of a Catholic and Benedictine education. Saint Benedict wrote a rule about a way of seeking God and following Christ in the “school for the Lord’s service.” Using the RB as a guide, Benedictine education can be understood as the formation of the whole person towards a transformation into the image of Christ. The first phase of the study involved the gathering …


Examining The Relationship Between Technology & Engineering Instruction And Technology & Engineering Literacy In K-8 Education, Tamarra L. Mitchell Jan 2017

Examining The Relationship Between Technology & Engineering Instruction And Technology & Engineering Literacy In K-8 Education, Tamarra L. Mitchell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between technology and engineering instruction and technology and engineering literacy in grades K-8. The factors identified and used for the purpose of this study were gender, socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, and important modes of technology and engineering instruction. These factors were evaluated to determine their relationship to student achievement scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2014 Technology and Engineering Literacy (TEL) assessment. Eight important modes of technology and engineering instruction were identified including: (1) choices people make that affect the environment, (2) inventions changing the way people live, …


The Church In Dialogue With Other Religions In The Postmodern World: Reflecting Beyond Nostra Aetate., Daniel Aboagye Adjei Jan 2017

The Church In Dialogue With Other Religions In The Postmodern World: Reflecting Beyond Nostra Aetate., Daniel Aboagye Adjei

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The church has accomplished tremendous strides in interfaith dialogue within the past fifty-two years after the promulgation of Nostra Aetate, the declaration which opened a positive and revolutionary avenue for the church in her dialogical encounter with the non-Christian religions. This project praises Nostra Aetate for the bold step in entering the unfamiliar terrain in the church’s dialogue with non-Christian religions, by affirming in these religions “ray of truth,” “seed of the gospel,” element of “truth and holy” and reproving as foreign to the Christian faith any discrimination and harassment against people based on culture, race, condition in life and …


Indirect Bullying And Conflict Management Skills In Childhood And Adolescence, Charles Albright Jan 2017

Indirect Bullying And Conflict Management Skills In Childhood And Adolescence, Charles Albright

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this study, the Young Adult Social Behavior Scale (YASB) and Conflict Resolution Scale (CRS) measures were administered to students from three private middle and high schools in the mid-Atlantic US as part of a larger study regarding the effects of a group counseling curriculum in reducing forms of indirect bullying. Research questions were developed to evaluate differences according to student age and gender in relational aggression, social aggression, and interpersonal maturity, as well as relationships between relational aggression, social aggression, interpersonal maturity, and conflict resolution skills. These questions were evaluated using MANOVA, Chi-square, and multivariate regression analyses, respectively. Results …