Digital Commons Network^™

A Multiple Case Study On Student-Centered Teaching And Educational Equity For Diverse Learners, Lei Ping

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Student-centered teaching (SCT) has been the dominant education philosophy in the U.S. K-12 education. However, the definition and practice of SCT have been rooted in western education contexts. Since students in U.S. schools become more and more diverse, it remains unclear how SCT works for diverse learners. This research delved into the perceptions and implementation of SCT by teachers in elementary charter schools, emphasizing their approach in classrooms with diverse learners. The study also aimed to uncover any disparities in how teachers perceived and applied SCT when educating diverse learners compared to non-diverse learners. Guided by critical reflection for transformative …

Tummy Time Toolkit: Incorporating Social-Emotional Strategies To Increase Caregiver Home Programming Compliance, Marsha Rattler

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Tummy time is a crucial developmental activity for infants. However, many infants are not receiving the recommended amount of time in prone positioning. This doctoral capstone project aims to address this gap through the implementation of an occupational therapy (OT) based tummy time educational resource titled Bonding Through Tummy Time: A Caregiver’s Guide. The resource, a tummy time toolkit, focuses on caregiver and infant interaction during the co- occupation of play using social-emotional developmental strategies as a driving force to complete more tummy time in the home environment. Recruitment of caregivers was done through purposive sampling and participants were surveyed …

Development Of A Cue-Based Feeding Education Program To Enhance The Self-Efficacy Of Nicu Caregivers, Jazmin Rivera

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), a neonate may experience feeding difficulties due to their prematurity, physiological, and neurological status. Under these circumstances, a caregiver’s role can be diminished and cause a loss of self-efficacy due to the inability to provide care and feed their infant in the NICU. After examining the literature, guided by the Model of Human Occupation and the Transformative Learning Theory framework, a cue-based feeding (CBF) program was developed and implemented at the University Medical Center (UMC) Hospital NICU department to enhance the caregiver’s self-efficacy through an occupational therapy perspective. A feasibility evaluation of the …

Identifying Disease-Related Gene-Environment Interactions Based On Method Of Moments, Linchuan Shen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Human diseases are often caused by a complex interplay of multiple factors, including genetics and environmental factors. These factors can play critical roles in the development and progression of diseases. Although genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have successfully identified many genetic variants associated with human diseases, the estimated effects of these variants are small and can explain only a relatively small portion of the heritability of the underlying diseases.

Detecting gene-environment interactions (G × E) can shed light on the biological mechanisms of diseases. However, most existing methods that investigate G × E only look at how one environmental …

The Effects Of A Low-Intensity Aerobic Exercise Program To Enhance Occupational Performance And Quality Of Life In Diabetic Patients, Asia Suriyachottakul

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Globally, diabetes mellitus (DM) is a prevalent chronic condition many people encounter. DM is one of the primary causes of mortality due to individuals struggling to manage or prevent the condition. The healthcare field is also failing to provide sufficient education on DM. Individuals with this condition may begin to experience co-morbidities and depressive symptoms, which make it difficult for them to engage in meaningful occupations, in addition to decreased quality of life (QOL). This project examines the effectiveness of a low-intensity aerobic exercise (LIAE) program to enhance occupational performance (OP) and QOL in those diagnosed with the condition or …

Video Monitoring For Fall Prevention, Atongane Taku

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Patient safety is a vital aspect of healthcare. Falls and fall-related injuries continue to occur in hospitals worldwide and fall prevention is one of the top priorities in providing quality care. Fall assessment tools, bed alarms, patient rounding, patient education, physical restraints, environmental modification, bedside sitters, and remote video monitoring are some of the methods implemented to reduce falls. This project was a quasi-experimental study informed by Kotter and Cohen Model of Change. The initial purpose of this process improvement project was to educate staff on the significance of video monitoring in fall prevention and determine whether the education regarding …

Effectiveness Of An Occupational Therapy-Focused Stroke Transitional Care Program In An Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility, Danniel Tapat

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Introduction: As a global health issue, stroke is one of the most common causes of disability for individuals around the world. The American Heart Association (2024) mentions that stroke is the fifth-highest cause of mortality and the top cause of disability in the United States. Objective: This project aimed to assess the change in the perceived readiness of individuals after implementing an occupational therapy (OT)-focused transitional care program for patients with stroke and their caregivers before returning home. Methods: The recruitment process for participants involved purposive sampling methods. The study utilized both the Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale-Short Form (RHDS-SF) …

Online Learning For Acid-Fast Bacilli Detection In Histopathological Images, Shizhao Wang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The acid-fast stain is frequently used for laboratory diagnosis of tuberculosis. It is a labor intensive task requiring thorough examination of extremely high-resolution images to pinpoint the presence of the mycobacteria. This paper presents a machine learning assisted slide image analysis tool with the aim of aiding histopathology professionals in the accurate diagnosis of tuberculosis in patients through the analysis of microscopic imagery. The proposed tool combines a digital whole slide image viewer with an online learning framework. We also conducted a survey of different state-of-the-art online learning methods, and found that MIR with pre-training has the best performance on …

Preservice Teachers' Pk-12 Educational Field Trip Experiences: Teaching Beyond The Classroom, Cecilia A. Turman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of the study was to investigate preservice teachers’ (PSTs) attitudes and beliefs towards their PK-12 field trip (FT) experiences as students, their memories, influences in their lives, impact on their educational approaches and career choices, as well as how, as future teachers, they would implement FTs to their future students to provide feedback on FTs’ training for preparation programs. Rationale: Anderson et al. (2010) criticized teacher preparation programs’ lack of teacher training to implement educational FTs and contended that instructors’ FTs experiences as students may have influenced the way they plan and carry out educational FTs. John Dewey’s …

An Educational Toolkit For Addressing Women’S Sexual Health And Activity: Preparation For Occupational Therapists, Brittan Wright

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Despite being an activity of daily living within the scope of Occupational Therapy, issues and concerns related to sexual health are infrequently addressed within practice. This gap is especially prevalent as it relates to women's sexual health and sexual activity specifically. This capstone project evaluated Occupational Therapists' level of knowledge and comfort when discussing sexual activity and women's sexual health. It measured the effectiveness of creating an online educational toolkit to increase knowledge and confidence. The project used a quality improvement approach with pre-and post-test surveys to determine the effectiveness of the educational toolkit to enhance knowledge and confidence in …

Cellular Mechanisms Of Embryonic Eye Regrowth In Xenopus Laevis, Randolph L. Grell

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The African Clawed Frog, Xenopus laevis, has been an indispensable model organism for over 100 years in the study of embryogenesis and development. In recent years, this vertebrate model has emerged as a robust tool for deciphering the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying various modes of tissue, limb, and organ regeneration. In the context of eye repair, Xenopus offers a unique model, where the adult frog eye has limited regenerative capacity compared to its pre-metamorphic embryonic and tadpole forms, which exhibit a robust capacity for regrowth. Understanding the intricate molecular mechanisms that underlie this developmental shift in regrowth ability …

Approach To Multi-Criteria Decision-Making In A Neutrosophic Picture Hyper-Soft Set Environment Using Generalized Neutrosophic Topsis, Manpreet Kaur, Akanksha Singh

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

Given the complexity of today’s world, we might need to work with numbers requiring multi-attribute functions, such as those having positive, neutral, and negative membership and those having truth, indeterminacy, and falsity membership. Adding these numbers together to get a single real number is the most important factor. In situations like this, decision-makers have more difficult choices and are unable to apply the single attribute function of the soft set theory. To address this constraint, the hyper-soft set theory with multi-attribute functions is introduced. We combine the notion of neutrosophic hypersoft set with picture fuzzy hypersoft set to form a …

Theory Of Distances In Neutrogeometry, Erick González Caballero, Florentin Smarandache

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

NeutroGeometry is one of the most recent approaches to geometry. In NeutroGeometry mod els, the main condition is to satisfy an axiom, definition, property, operator and so on, that is neither entirely true nor entirely false. When one of these concepts is not satisfied at all it is called AntiGeometry. One of the problems that this new theory has had is the scarcity of models. Another open problem is the definition of angle and distance measurements within the framework of NeutroGeometry. This paper aims to introduce a general theory of distance measures in any NeutroGeometry. We also present an algorithm …

Evaluation Strategies Of Leadership Management In Healthcare Systems: An Integrated Type-Ii Neutrosophic Optimization Approach, Areej Hamoud Alharbi, Hayam M. Jabali, Preethi Rajan

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

This study presented a decision-making methodology to evaluate leadership management strategies in healthcare systems. This study used the multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methodology to deal with conflicting criteria in the decision-making process. The MCDM methodology is integrated with neutrosophic sets to deal with uncertainty and vague information in decision-making. The neutrosophic set has three memberships: truth, indeterminacy, and falsity. The type-2 neutrosophic set is a subset of the neutrosophic set with nine membership degrees. The neutrosophic set integrated with the COPRAS method to rank the alternatives. fourteen criteria and eleven alternatives are used to evaluate leadership management in healthcare systems. The …

Interdisciplinary Education On Using The Combilizer For Grooming Tasks In The Intensive Care Unit, Bonnie Lei

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to provide a teaching and learning program to the interdisciplinary team on how to use the Sara Combilizer with critically ill patients to increase efficacy for early progressive mobility (EPM) by facilitating grooming tasks. Methods: A teaching and learning program on using the Sara Combilizer to facilitate grooming tasks was provided to the acute care therapy team at a hospital. The program included an evidence-based lecture, a practice case study, and a digital instructional manual. The program was evaluated through a pre- and post-survey, and a quality improvement survey. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test …

Preparing Occupational Therapy Students In A Role-Emerging Private School-Based Setting, Jerome Amigo

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This capstone project occurred in collaboration with Cornerstone Christian Academy in Las Vegas, Nevada. As a role-emerging area of practice, occupational therapy must focus on integrating services in private schools just as much as public schools. The need for resources to support future fieldwork students at Cornerstone Christian Academy makes it difficult for occupational therapy students to enhance their experiential learning opportunities and serve an underserved population of primary and middle school students.

The capstone project consisted of daily engagement with Cornerstone Christian Academy’s educational personnel, attending students, and the parents of the students for 14 weeks to ensure all …

The Effect Of An Occupational Balance Educational Module On Life Satisfaction And Occupational Balance For University Students, Unique Bowden

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Engaging in a variety of occupations daily can support university students in feeling a sense of balance and satisfaction in their lives. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an occupational balance education module on improving the life satisfaction and occupational balance of university students ages 18-22 in a public university in the southwest region of the United States. Five participants were recruited using convenience sampling from a student support services program. A four-part education module was provided using a one-group pretest posttest quasi-experimental design, which included education on occupational balance, barriers and supports to occupational balance, strategies to …

Occupational Therapy-Led Tai Chi: Elevating Perceived Competence In Daily Activities Among Semi/Fully Retired Adults, Lester Buenviaje

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This doctoral capstone project explored the impact of a Tai Chi intervention led by the occupational therapy student researcher, on self-perceived competence and engagement in Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) among semi/fully retired adults at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Using the Occupational Self-Assessment (OSA) questionnaire, the project measured changes in participants' confidence and abilities before and after the participation of the Tai Chi program.

The Tai Chi intervention was a six-week Tai Chi program designed to accommodate the physical and cognitive capabilities of semi-retired and retired adults. This program not only …

Acculturation Stress And Social Participation Amongst Elderly Filipino Immigrants, Mary Julianne Canda

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

There has been a surge of elderly immigrants moving to the United States from Asian countries, as noted by the growing presence of elderly Filipino immigrants in Las Vegas, Nevada. Despite the growth of this population, there is limited information on how the immigration process affects their social participation in a new culture. Using a descriptive study design, this research aimed to gain a more profound knowledge of elderly Filipino immigrants, the challenges they encountered, also known as acculturation stress, and how they impacted their capacity to interact socially with others in the community. Two participants were chosen for a …

Improving Patients’ Readiness For Discharge: The Development Of An Occupation-Based Group Therapy Protocol In Inpatient Rehabilitation, Valerie Cheng

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The literature showed a lack of studies involving occupation-based group therapy in an inpatient rehabilitation setting, with notable barriers including lack of time, space, and equipment. The barriers lead occupational therapists (OT) to pursue an impairment-based approach, steering away from occupation-based approaches, which is what makes up the core of OT. Current literature is also limited to patients' perceptions of discharge readiness, with most research primarily concentrated on clinicians' perspectives. This 14-week capstone experience will include developing an occupation-based group therapy protocol for inpatient rehabilitation that will be implemented at Dignity Health Rehabilitation Hospital. Through conducting occupation-based group therapy in …

Sens"Ability" Coaching: Inspire And Empower Parents With Occupational Performance Coaching Using Dunn’S Model Of Sensory Processing – A Manualized Education Program For Clinicians, Kelby Christian

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Introduction: The current literature found a need for improved collaboration styles and programs that can adapt to the needs of the various mental health diagnoses. This capstone project focused on creating a manualized education program called SensABILTY Coaching, which aims to improve clinicians’ confidence in educating caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) on Dunn’s Model of Sensory Processing using principles of Occupational Performance Coaching (OPC). Improving clinicians' confidence increases positive reactions and enhances caregiver and clinician collaboration. This capstone project outlines the benefits of using the principles of OPC intervention styles and sensory-based strategies for their effectiveness when …

“Sex Is Fun”: A Study Of Hook Up Behaviors And Experiences Of Post-College And Middle-Aged Adults, Joshua Corum

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This research is a qualitative study of the hook up and casual sex behaviors and experiences of those in full adulthood, focusing on their motivations to hook up and the subsequent outcomes of those casual sex activities. Most of the existing scholarship on hooking up and casual sex primarily investigates the behaviors, attitudes, and experiences of college students within emerging adulthood. Little consideration is made for the ways in which adults negotiate hooking up and casual sex in other stages over the life course and after major life transitions. In this dissertation, I asked three questions: 1) How do adults …

Educational Series On Sensory Processing Differences And Sensory-Related Responses: An Occupational Therapy Perspective To Promote Caregiver Understanding, Jessemae Delarmente

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The objective of this doctoral capstone was to create and conduct a five-part online educational series for caregivers of children ages 0-5 about the impact sensory processing differences (SPD) has on occupational participation and performance, as well as how to navigate sensory-related responses (SRRs) on a daily basis. SPD and SRRs are complex topics commonly talked about on a graduate level as it requires knowledge of the nervous system and child development. Caregiver resources on SPD and SRRs are difficult to obtain and may not present the information appropriately for varying health literacy levels. This leads many caregivers to have …

Wobble And Transcending The Challenges Of Novice Teachers, Thomas Jansky, Trevor Thomas Stewart

Journal of Excellence in College Teaching and Learning

This paper explores a novice teacher's experiences and challenges in order to discuss the importance of supporting new teachers. We examine the new identity that novice teachers take on as they enter the workforce, requiring them to bring two competing worlds into dialogue with one another. By highlighting the moments of struggle and uncertainty that one new teacher encountered, the paper calls attention to the need to support new teachers and help them transcend the persistent problem of isolation in the teaching profession. This article identifies how teacher educators can help prepare teacher candidates and novice teachers to respond to …

Identifying Critical Factors That Impact Learning Analytics Adoption By Higher Education Faculty, Michael Knupp

Masters Theses & Doctoral Dissertations

Higher education institutions (HEI) are beginning to invest heavily in learning analytics as a compliment to their existing suite of technologies used to enhance the pedagogical practices of instructors. However, learning analytics continues to see low adoption and integration by higher education faculty. While a culture of learning analytics within HEI is emerging, there is not consensus on the value and effectiveness of the tools and practices that make up the culture. With promises of reduced student dropout rates, improved student outcomes, better course pedagogy and backed by pressures of assessment and accountability, learning analytics is being trumpeted as the …

Forensic Iconography For Image Forgery Detection, Chad R. Johnson

Masters Theses & Doctoral Dissertations

Traditionally, image forgeries were limited to defraud art collectors and falsify documents. The rise of visual media provided legitimate reasons for artists to forge images in the pursuit of more effective storytelling. In all cases these methods required specialized domain knowledge and highly skilled artists. The rise of computers simplified many of these processes, lowering the bar in time, materials, and skill, and thus giving most users access basic tools for altering images. Today, image alteration tools leverage machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques, and can generate incredibly accurate image forgeries. Effective methods for verifying the authenticity of media data …

Positive Psychology In The Ncaa: Amplifying The Power And Uplifting The Voices Of Student Athletes In Multiple Mental Health Studies, Ashley C. Green

Dissertations

Mental health resources and programming in the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) continues to expand in research and implementation in collegiate athletic departments of all institutions. This study sought to respond to and expand on dissertation research conducted by Dr. Heather Ryan (2021), an administrator in the athletic department at Duke University, and Dr. Chelsi Day (2011) previously the sport psychologist from Ohio State University athletics, and currently for the National Basketball Association (NBA) team, the Memphis Grizzlies. Both are identified as experts regarding student-athlete research regarding mental health needs and accessibility within the NCAA. Topics of research evaluated for …

The Dark Side Of Engagement: An Organizational Fairness Perspective, Katherine Naomi Rau

Theses and Dissertations

Employee engagement has long been regarded as a positive phenomenon for organizations and individuals. However, recent investigations into unintended, negative consequences of engagement have illuminated the potential “dark side” of engagement. This research applied an organizational fairness lens by investigating the relationship between engagement and psychological contract fulfillment to explain why engaged employees may experience emotional exhaustion and turnover intentions. Additionally, autotelic personality and job crafting were explored as potential mitigating factors in weakening the relationships between psychological contract breach and emotional exhaustion and turnover intention. While findings across two studies did not support the assertion that engagement was related …

The Professional Roles And Functions Of School Psychologists In Alternative Vs Traditional Education, Staci C. Ballard

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Alternative Education Settings (AES) are unique environments that serve students whose educational and/or social-emotional needs are not being met in traditional schools. Students frequently enter AES with a range of mental health diagnoses, previous traumas, and behavioral/academic challenges. AES also serve many students from systemically marginalized and oppressed backgrounds, who are placed in these settings at higher rates than privileged peers. Considering these patterns, it becomes critical that AES provide effective student support, rather than serve simply to contain students based on disciplinary factors and convenience.

School psychologists, with training in mental health and education, are well-positioned to provide these …

Establishing New Links Between Hrm Practices And Knowledge Workers’ Retention In Healthcare Sector: Knowledge Sharing Generating Moderating Effects, Riya Gupta, Rachna Agrawal, Arti Gupta

American Business Review

Knowledge sharing is the fundamental measure through which knowledge workers can significantly contribute to innovation and eventually the competitive advantage of the organization. Drawing upon the knowledge-based view of firms, the present study aims to examine the moderating role of knowledge sharing on the relationship between HRM practices and knowledge workers’ retention in the healthcare sector. After the COVID impact, healthcare knowledge workers have become a point for wide scholarly discussion and appropriate HRM practices should be implemented to amplify their probability of a longer stay in the organization. Hence, this research has incorporated PLS-SEM for empirical investigation which is …