Education Commons^™

How To Successfully Implement Practical Functional Assessment In School Settings, Christina Stasi-Arispe

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The Practical Functional Assessment (PFA) and Skill-Based Treatment (SBT) process is a comprehensive system that may benefit students who engage in high levels of challenging behavior by assessing the function of behavior while considering the student’s safety, dignity, and autonomy (Hanley, 2012).

The PFA-SBT process is designed to advance through several cumulative phases to teach the necessary skills that promote student success in multiple contexts within the school or home (Hanley et al., 2014). While not explicitly designed for school settings, the PFA-SBT process is versatile and feasible enough to be implemented by school personnel. This poster will describe the …

Influences On The Implementation Of Guided Play Practices In Kindergarten: A Grounded Theory Study, Amy Schmidtke

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The professional capacity of a kindergarten teacher is central to the implementation of developmentally appropriate practices that support children’s learning and development. Evidence indicates that a teacher’s professional capacity is influenced through experiences with leadership, professional learning, and collaboration. Although research clearly supports the positive impact of play experiences for young children, the current educational climate does not provide teachers with the confidence or the structural supports needed to actualize play in kindergarten classrooms. The findings demonstrate what influences kindergarten teachers to implement guided play practices in their classrooms. The implications provide insight as to which elements of leadership, professional …

Teacher Perceptions During The Candidacy Phase Of The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme, Nicole Beins

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

This qualitative case study explores the perceptions of educators during the candidacy phase of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme in a suburban Midwest school. The methodology was comprised of a two-phase research design. During Phase 1, participants responded anonymously through written narrative responses via electronic questionnaire. This data was analyzed for common themes. After initial data analysis, focus group questions were generated using the findings of common themes to ask focus groups what strengths and challenges were faced during the implementation phase of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme. The goal of this research was to gain insight on …

Using From The Heartland In The First-Year Writing Classroom: Measuring Instructor Reception Of The Customized Textbook, Sarah Cohen

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The aim of the first-year writing program at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is to equip students with critical reading and writing tools and strategies to advance effective written communication well into their future. This study examines and measures attitudes of UNO composition instructors – who come from a variety of pedagogical and theoretical backgrounds – toward the efficacy of UNO’s self-published Composition I textbook, From the Heartland: Critical Reading and Writing at UNO. In many ways, From the Heartland embraces what Richard Fulkerson refers to as “a critical cultural pedagogy” which encourages students to consider personal …

Impacts Of Mitochondrial-Targeted Antioxidant (Mitoq) On Skeletal Muscle Mitochondrial Function In Peripheral Arterial Disease Patients, Jiwon Song

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is an atherosclerotic disease that affects the arteries in the legs, causing decreased blood flow and oxygen transfer capacity to the skeletal muscle. This ischemia in the skeletal muscle in PAD patients may result in increased inflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction due to increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Inflammation and ROS production have been shown to attenuate vascular function in PAD patients Mitochondrial-targeted antioxidants (such as MitoQ) have been shown to combat ROS and inflammation in various diseases.

Purpose: We sought to examine the impacts of MitoQ intake on vascular function measurements in PAD patients. …

The Relationship Between Linear And Nonlinear Analysis On Activity Data, Katlyn J. Nimtz

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Activity monitoring in older adults is a great way to predict disability without interfering in their daily life. We can analyze that data using linear and nonlinear analysis. While linear analysis measures the variation of activity during a specific period of time (i.e., mean, standard deviation), nonlinear analysis focuses on the evolution of activity over a period of time. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to observe the relationship between linear and nonlinear analysis of activity data obtained by activity monitoring in older adults. Eight participants wore an activity monitor around their waist for seven days. Linear analysis was …

The Astro Xo Exoskeleton Alters Ankle Kinetics In Healthy Individuals, Blake Beier, Angel E. Gonzalez, Erica Hedrick, Jeffrey M. Patterson, Corbin Rasmussen

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The ankle joint is one of the most important for walking, producing 35-45% of the summed ankle, knee, and hip positive mechanical work for each stride. Ankle weakness results in reduced torque and power production, leading to slower self-selected speed. Slower preferred walking speed correlates with poorer physical function, health status, more disabilities, and increased medical-surgical visits. Many orthotic and exoskeletal devices have been created to restore proper ankle function by promoting ankle plantar flexion. This study assessed the effects of the Astro XO Exoskeleton (AXO) on ankle kinetics and kinematics for healthy, young individuals. The study demonstrated that wearing …

Overall Wellness Of First Generation College Student-Athletes, Shane Warehime

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The present study examined the overall wellness of first-generation student-athletes (FGSA) in comparison to non-first generation student-athletes (non-FGSA),first-generation college students (FGCS), and non-first generation college students (non-FGCS). Overall wellness was assessed using the Five-Factor WellnessInventory. Non-FGSA scored significantly higher than non-FGCS in overall wellness and life satisfaction. Non-FGSA and FGSA scored significantly higher than non-FGCS and FGCS in the physical self subscale (i.e., diet, exercise). In sum, athletics may play an important role in the wellness of student-athletes, which could be enough to mitigate any challenges that first-generation college students face.

The Experiences Of Female High School Students And Interest In Stem: Factors Leading To The Selection Of An Engineering Or Computer Science Major, Sharon Genoways

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education creates critical thinkers, increases science literacy, and enables the next generation of innovators, which leads to new products and processes that sustain our economy (Hossain & Robinson, 2012). We have been hearing the warnings for several years, that there simply are not enough young scientists entering into the STEM professional pathways to replace all of the retiring professionals (Brown, R., Brown, J., Reardon, & Merrill, 2011; Harsh, Maltese, & Tai, 2012; Heilbronner, 2011; Scott, 2012). The problem is not necessarily due to a lack of STEM skills and concept proficiency. There also appears …

A Wellness Approach To Investigating Student Veterans' Academic And Career Goals, Thomas Seguin

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The purpose of this study is to understand what wellness factors motivate veterans to separate from the military, and how these factors are addressed by the selection of the veteran’s academic major. This project is exploratory in nature, and mixed-methods methodology is being utilized to reach a deep understanding of the wellness and career transition experiences of student veterans. A brief questionnaire has been developed to gather demographic data, and has been distributed among the student veteran population at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (41 respondents at the time of this writing). Interview participants will be selected from the …

A Needs Assessment Of Omaha Service Providers To Better Understand Maternal Well-Being, Tyler Patterson

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Background: In Nebraska just over 14% of mothers have reported feeling down or always depressed during the first year after the birth of their child. Research shows that many women who exhibit signs or symptoms of depression will not seek out help from a professional, with even fewer willing to go on medication. Thus, it is important to examine the current organizations mothers utilize and these organization’s resources for meeting the needs of mothers in the Omaha community. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore service providers’ (e.g., community organizations) perceptions of the needs of pregnant and postpartum …

Accommodations At Uno; What You Don't See, Steph Hengen

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

At the primary and secondary levels, students with disabilities receive supports by law through Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and 504 Plans. However, students with disabilities at the post-secondary level are typically required to self-identify and request supports independently (Getzel and Thoma, 2008). This poster describes the demographics of students who were registered with the Accessibility Services Center at the University of Nebraska-Omaha in the Spring of 2016. Those who attend this poster session will have a better understanding of the population who receive support through the Accessibility Services Center and what that support looks like.

Engagement Of Latino/Hispanic Msm In Hiv Prevention, Natividad Hernandez

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Nationally, men who have sex with men (MSM) continue to be significantly affected by HIV compared to other populations. Surveillance data indicates that in Nebraska, between 2011 and 2015, over 55% of new HIV cases were MSM.¹ More specifically, the majority of new HIV cases in the state of Nebraska are reported in Douglas County.² The rate of Hispanic Latino males living with an HIV diagnosis is 2.3 times of white males.³ Similarly, the rate of Hispanic/Latina women living with HIV diagnosis is 3.4 times that white females.³ It is important to identify culturally appropriate messages …

Effects Of Inquiry Based Learning On An Undergraduate Precalculus Course, Jessica Wilson

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

MATH 1340 has a history of high DFW rates. This is true not just at UNO but nationally as well. An Inquiry Based Learning (IBL) approach to teaching this course could be a possible solution. In the fall 2016 semester I assisted Dr. Matthews with a MATH 1340 course. This class focused on problem solving in groups with little lecture time and many student presentations. To compare our class to the traditionally taught precalculus class we gave a pretest and posttest to both sections. After performing a two sample t-test on the data we found that students in the IBL …

Deaf Education And Mental Health, Katherine Schwartz

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Previous research has indicated that deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH) students are more at risk for being identified with mental illness. Unfortunately, research has also indicated deaf educators are ill-equipped to provide the necessary support to these students and their families. This lack of knowledge and confidence to address such problems can and does have detrimental effects on students in and out of the classroom. Students with mental health issues struggle not only cognitively, but also socially and emotionally. To address the issue, a pilot study was conducted to examine deaf educators’ current abilities to work with students with …