Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Academic settings'

Despite multiple reforms, the education system of the United States continues to leave students behind, particularly those from marginalized groups. Student empowerment is defined as a process by which students gain more control over their lives and develop empowered academic outcomes including competence, self-determination, and a sense that their voice is heard. The current study expands the literature on school climate and applies the literature on empowering settings to an urban, public high school with the goal of identifying characteristics of schools which are related to student empowerment. A qualitative case study was conducted using observations, focus groups, and interviews on one urban high school campus. A participant research team collected and analyzed data over the course of one semester. A conceptual model of student empowerment was developed for this study and used to interpret the data. Results identified a total of eleven characteristics which were related to student empowerment. Empowering classrooms were characterized by positive relationships (teachers believed in students, high sense of community in class, equitable teacher-student roles) and opportunities for classroom involvement (shared decision-making in class and engaging classroom practices). On the school level, the impact of positive traditions, valuing of student leadership, and embracing cultural diversity were connected to student empowerment along with adequate resources and sense of community and empowerment among staff. The results supported the conceptual model by identifying characteristics of academic settings which related to student empowerment and the development of empowered outcomes. The current study presents a valuable addition to the literature by extending the literature on school climate to include the concepts of power and empowerment, while applying the literature on empowering settings to a public high school setting. Implications for educational reform and future research are discussed. Suggestions include expanding school evaluations, enhancing teacher training, and modifying curriculum. Future research questions include measuring the identified characteristics across settings and empirically testing programs, policies, and practices designed to promote student empowerment. Limitations and future directions are discussed.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Psychology

The effects of task structure and task outcome on the self-evaluations children make were examined in the study. One hundred forty seven students in second, fourth, sixth, and eighth grades were surveyed following successful and unsuccessful outcomes in a classroom achievement setting. Students were randomly divided into two task structure groups: individual, competitive task structure, and cooperative learning groups. The students worked under these differing task structures on a reading comprehension activity. Half the students in each group and each grade were told they had done well on the comprehension exercise and half were told they had done poorly, then all were surveyed. Students who were told they had succeeded made higher self-evaluations than did students who were told they had failed. At all grade levels, and in both task structure groups, students were much happier with themselves and their work if they were told they had done well, than if they believed that had done poorly. Students who believed they had succeeded made more attributions to the internal attributions of ability and effort than did those who thought they had failed at the task. Younger students attributed outcome more to effort than did older students and students working under the cooperative learning task structure attributed outcome more to ability and task difficulty than did students working in competitive groups. These results found in a naturalistic classroom environment contribute to previous findings from attribution research in laboratory settings.

The documented experiences and perceptions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) patients receiving hospice or palliative care gives merit to the need for the implementation of LGBT affirming environments in hospice care settings. The guidelines for creating these affirming environments are described in this paper. Applying the Donabedian (1988) model of structure, process, and outcome this thesis project analyzes identified interventions relevant to the implementation of LGBT affirming environments in hospice care settings. Utilizing a formal PICO questioning method, a search strategy was devised and studies were identified based on established criteria. The results suggest that there is a paucity of data in relation to the implementation of LGBT affirming environments in hospice care settings. In an effort to assist in identifying existing interventions that have not been studied this project also includes a recommended survey tool to measure the active efforts of hospice organizations to implement LGBT affirming environments.
B.S.W.
Bachelors
Health and Public Affairs
Social Work

The purpose of this research was to investigate relations between students' academic motivation, cognition, and achievement. In particular, substantial issues are investigated involving the interaction of students' academic motivation and cognition, and specifies how selected motivational and cognitive variables may influence student academic achievement. In order to do this, this study develops a causal model of student achievement which, using goal theory as a framework, incorporates both motivational and cognitive variables to account for students' academic achivement. In total, the results suggest that students' academic achievement may be both conceptualised, and operationalised, as the product of interrelations between key facilitating, motivational, and cognitive variables. Despite some limitations, the study suggests several positive directions for future research. These include, in particular, further investigation of the social goals identified, how these goals relate to students' academic cognition, and how selected social goals and strategies together influence students' academic achievement. There is also further scope to investigate the role of particular facilitating variables in 'driving' students' academic motivation and cognition. Thus, the present research provides an empirical basis from which future, complementary, research may be undertaken
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Contained within the parameters of postmodern thought, particularly feminist critical perspectives on western epistemology, this thesis proceeds from the following arguments: that knowledge is political: that it possesses a reflexive and dialectical nature and that it is based upon interpretations of reality which are in potential, indeterminate in range. Within these boundaries, knowledge is viewed as a phenomenon subject to influence from social power structures. And western culture is observed to breed situations of epistemological inequality where knowers may become unjustly privileged or oppressed.
Focusing on arguments expounded by Lorraine Code, Patti Lather and Catherine Walsh, this thesis aims to explore how western culture may be observed to impose on consciousness and thereby lead to restriction of interpretive outcomes. Following this line of reasoning, the goal of this thesis is to consider how applications in deconstructionism may be used to emancipate the position of the oppressed knower.

El objetivo general de esta tesis has sido poner a prueba un modelo 'heurístico' que sirva para explicar las relaciones existentes entre: las creencias de autoeficacia de los estudiantes, los obstáculos-facilitadores que los éstos perciben, sus niveles de burnout-engagement relacionados con sus estudios y su rendimiento académico. Además, también se ha puesto a prueba la eficacia de una intervención diseñada expresamente para incrementar los niveles de autoeficacia de los estudiantes universitarios. Para llevar a cabo este objetivo se han realizado cuatro estudios transversales y un estudio cuasi-experimental. De este modo, los resultados descritos en esta tesis permiten articular y cuantificar la relación existente entre las variables anteriormente descritas (autoeficacia, obstáculos-facilitadores, burnout-engagement y rendimiento).

Counselors can work at a variety of locations (Vacc & Loesch, 2000). Yet very little is known about each setting (King, 2007) and what type of counselors would have an optimum fit. Burnout is a pervasive issue in counseling (Lawson, 2007) and providing good-fit information could lessen turnover and burnout from the counseling field. The primary purpose of this study included investigating the differences between job satisfaction and value priorities of counselors in private practice and agency settings. The overarching theoretical framework included Frank Parsons' (1909) 'goodness of fit' theory, which is a person-organizational fit theory for job satisfaction. Schwartz Value Theory (Schwartz, 1992, 1994) provided the trait of the person under investigation: value priorities. The use of global and facet measures of job satisfaction provided the 'good-fit' measure (Brief & Weiss, 2002). The final analysis included one hundred and thirty-five counselors, with seventy-two agency counselors and sixty-three private practitioners. Counselors completed two assessments and a survey in a descriptive correlational design. Two methods of group and e-mail administration produced a 98.7% and 33% response rates, respectively. The data collection instruments included: The Schwartz Value Survey (SVS; Schwartz, 1992), the abridged Job Descriptive Index (aJDI; Stanton et al., 2002), the abridged Job In General Scale (aJIG; Russell et al., 2004), and the Counselor History Questionnaire (Cunningham, 2009). The statistical procedures used to analyze the data included two one-way MANOVAs and four standard multiple regressions. Post-hoc analysis included ANOVA for five subscales on the aJDI measure.; The three research questions included; (a) Are there any differences between job satisfaction between counselors in private practice and agency settings? (b) Are there any differences between value priorities of self-transcendence and self-enhancement between counselors in private practice and agency settings?, and (c) Are there any relationships among the variables of job satisfaction and value priorities of counselors in private practice and agency setting? The first research question was supported, with private practitioners reporting statistically significant higher levels of job satisfaction on two measures, with 12.9 % of the variance explained by the model. Furthermore, the results of the post-hoc included private practitioners reporting statistically significant higher ratings on the aJDI subscales of Work and Income, and Agency counselors reporting higher scores on the Supervision subscale. The second and third research questions were not supported; as there were no differences in value priorities of counselors in private practice and agency. Furthermore, no predictive relationships existed among the variables of work location, value priorities, and job satisfaction. The data suggested that private practitioners experienced a higher level of job satisfaction than their counterparts in agency settings. Furthermore, the non-significant results of value priorities suggested that counselors, as a whole, possess similar value priorities which are not altered by different work settings. Implications for counselors and counselor educators were presented, along with areas of future research.
ID: 029094485; System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader.; Mode of access: World Wide Web.; Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of Central Florida, 2010.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 178]-198).
Ed.D.
Doctorate
Department of Child, Family, and Community Sciences
Education

This study explored the lifeworld of 27 academically advanced primary students in educational environments that have attempted to address their atypical learning needs. A phenomenological theoretical framework was used to discover the experiences of 13 gifted boys and 14 gifted girls attending either single-gender or co-educational schools. Three types of school settings were purposefully selected for this study in order to discover the supportive systems that these different educational environments created for academically advanced learners. While there is a great deal of research about the cognitive outcomes of these types of school environments, little is known about their social and emotional outcomes. Some researchers, as well as educators in the field, have suggested that the affective outcomes of these types of school settings may be a more powerful argument for gifted programming than their well known cognitive results (Coleman, 1995, 2003).The results from this study demonstrate that, while challenging instruction was clearly important for the emotional wellbeing of the advanced learners, it went hand in hand with the schools` ethos in relation to the social and emotional development of their student populations. The schools’ objectives clearly influenced students’ perceptions of emotional safety, acceptance of diversity, and teacher student and peer relations in the schools` environments. This finding differs to previous research that suggests that if a gifted child’s cognitive abilities are catered for, her or his social and emotional needs will automatically be met. This research has significance for educators and researchers in the field, as it provides insights from the gifted students themselves about their experiences in the specialised school environments, which hopefully will assist educators in better meeting the psychosocial and emotional needs of these students. This study also describes the types of social and emotional support systems, and social and emotional outcomes that can contribute to optimal social context in schools. In this study optimal describes a school setting that positively answers and enhances both the academic as well as the social and emotional needs of the gifted student.

This item is only available in print in the UCF Libraries. If this is your Honors Thesis, you can help us make it available online for use by researchers around the world by following the instructions on the distribution consent form at http://library.ucf
Bachelors
Health and Public Affairs
Nursing

The importance of looking at student and teacher interactions holistically is essential and results in reflective teaching practices; consequently, the reflective practice of teaching needs to incorporate all facets of the teacher, known and unknown. This study looks at the potential influence of hidden biases towards adolescent Hispanic males and students with Emotional Behavior Disorders by observing preservice teacher (PT) interactions with students within a simulated classroom environment. Factorial MANOVAs and Discriminant analyses revealed statistically significant interactions and relationships between participant level of bias and the identified student avatars. These exchanges were more prevalent with one student avatar by both experimental and control PTs; indicating that student characteristics and their differences are important factors that need to be considered when addressing issues related to bias.
ID: 031001552; System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader.; Mode of access: World Wide Web.; Adviser: Lisa A. Dieker.; Title from PDF title page (viewed August 23, 2013).; Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Central Florida, 2012.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 172-193).
Ph.D.
Doctorate
Education and Human Performance
Education; Exceptional Education

For decades, there has been substantial research showing that ability tests effectively predict what people can do, but it is only in the last fifteen years that it has come to be generally accepted that personality is a useful predictor of what they will do. Much of this change in appreciation of the role of personality in predicting performance has been attributed to the application of the Five-Factor Model (FFM) of personality to personality-performance research. The FFM was developed on the basis of the lexical hypothesis, which states that it is advantageous for people to be able to accurately describe the behaviour of others, and therefore the most important dimensions of personality will be encoded in natural languages. An associated premise is that natural language descriptors refer to an individual's surface appearance or reputation (i.e., their observable behaviours), rather than the underlying processes or genotype of personality (i.e., people's cognitive and affective processing). This reasoning was used as the basis for most of the factor-analytical studies of personality descriptors within the English language, and one of the most robust factor solutions was the FFM. The FFM contains the personality dimensions Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Openness to Experience and Emotional Stability. Although the FFM continues to evolve, particularly in response to cross-cultural research, the five basic dimensions appear to be remarkably consistent, and at least the core of each of these has been identified in the first six or seven factors found in every language considered to date. Of the five factors, Conscientiousness has been the one most reliably associated with workplace performance. Workplace performance itself has undergone a major reconsideration over the last fifteen to twenty years. Prior to that time, formal job roles and responsibilities were typically considered the start and finish of performance, but formal job requirements are now recognised as only one aspect of performance, which is increasingly referred to as Task Performance. Task Performance tends to change substantially from job to job, but there are other aspects of job performance, most notably Citizenship Performance, which appear to be consistent in most jobs. Citizenship Performance includes activities undertaken by an employee which facilitate Task Performance, such as making greater effort, complying with rules and procedures, and assisting others. Whereas Task Performance appears to be closely related to an individual's abilities, Citizenship Performance was originally proposed as an aspect of performance which is influenced by attitudinal and personality variables. Thus it has been proposed that Citizenship Performance largely mediates the relationship between personality variables, such as Conscientiousness, and Task Performance. However, this predictors of performance model has previously only been investigated in workplace settings. Yet performance is a relevant construct not only within workplace settings, but also within academic settings. In addition, the FFM dimension of Conscientiousness has been observed to be a reliable predictor of academic performance, just as it is a reliable predictor of workplace performance. Within educational settings, performance is typically tied to assessment measures, such as marks and GPA, which appear to measure academic Task Performance. However, no previous research appears to have considered whether Citizenship Performance mediates the relationship between Conscientiousness and Task Performance within an academic setting. Study One of this dissertation was designed to test this proposition. Participants in this study were 175 students enrolled within an introductory management subject. Participants provided assessments of their own personality using the Mini-Markers (Saucier, 1994), while Citizenship Performance ratings were provided by students' peers, at the end of a three-week group project. The hand-scored version of the Computerised Adaptive Rating Scales (CARS: Borman, 1999; Coleman & Borman, 2000) was used to assess Citizenship, but unfortunately the three scales of the CARS did not demonstrate good internal reliability. Consequently, a factor analysis was conducted to establish a new scale using the CARS items. This new scale, which was labelled Active Support, used six of the twelve CARS items and had satisfactory internal reliability. It was observed that the resulting scores on this Citizenship Performance scale were positively correlated with both Conscientiousness and academic Task Performance (as measured by grades). As predicted, Citizenship Performance entirely mediated the relationship between Conscientiousness and academic Task Performance. Therefore, the results of Study One were consistent with the predictors of performance model. It was concluded that Citizenship Performance is an important component of performance within academic settings, just as it is within workplace settings. Despite the fact that the relationship between both workplace and academic performance, and Conscientiousness, is reliable and well-established, correlations between Conscientiousness and performance tend to be moderate at best. Previous research has observed that other-rated measures of Conscientiousness have higher correlations with academic performance than do self-rated measures. Consequently, Study Two explored whether other-rated Conscientiousness improved the prediction of academic Citizenship and Task Performance, using a similar design to that utilised in Study One. One hundred and twenty-two students participated in Study Two while undertaking the same course as the students who had participated in Study One. Most of the results of Study Two were consistent with expectations, but there were some unexpected outcomes. Other-rated Conscientiousness was found to be a significantly better predictor of both academic Task and Citizenship Performance than was self-rated Conscientiousness. However, contrary to previous ideas, the relationship between other-rated Conscientiousness and Task Performance was not mediated by Citizenship Performance. In contrast, it was observed that the correlation between other-rated Conscientiousness and other-rated Citizenship Performance was .61 if both ratings were obtained from the same raters, and .44 if the two ratings were obtained from independent raters. When corrected for measurement unreliability, these estimates approached unity, which is consistent with the idea that, for the other-raters, Conscientiousness and Citizenship Performance were measuring the same construct. However, this study had several limitations, including its small sample size, the use of an unusual measure for Citizenship Performance, and the fact that it had been conducted in an academic setting. Therefore, there was a need to replicate Study Two before accepting that Conscientiousness and Citizenship Performance are actually much more strongly associated than previous research has indicated. In order to replicate Study Two, while addressing some of its limitations, a third study was conducted within a workplace setting. In Study Three, general staff supervisors within a public university were asked to rate their staff on measures of both personality and Citizenship Performance. In addition to Active Support, the measure used in Studies One and Two, two additional measures were included, which assessed the aspects of Citizenship Performance referred to as Individual Initiative and Helping Behaviour. The FFM dimension of Agreeableness was also added, because previous research indicates that, while Conscientiousness may be a better predictor of Individual Initiative, Helping Behaviour should be more closely associated with the FFM dimension of Agreeableness. However, using multiple ratings derived from the same raters can create common method bias in correlations, and so, in line with previous recommendations (Podsakoff, MacKenzie, Lee, & Podsakoff, 2003), Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to control for this. The resulting correlations confirmed that there were strong relationships between the measures of Citizenship Performance and personality. Helping Behaviour had a strong relationship with supervisor-rated Agreeableness (.81), while Individual Initiative was significantly correlated with supervisor-rated Agreeableness (.44) and supervisor-rated Conscientiousness (.32). Active Support had strong correlations with these measures of personality (.57 and .55 respectively). The results of Study Three indicate that, for the participating supervisors, the Helping Behaviour dimension of Citizenship Performance is largely the same as the Agreeableness dimension of personality. Unlike Study Two, Active Support appeared to be not so closely associated with Conscientiousness, but instead seemed to occupy a position halfway between other-rated Conscientiousness and other-rated Agreeableness. Individual Initiative occupies a similar position, but is not so closely linked to these other-rated personality variables. Although these results suggest that, when compared with the students in Study Two, the supervisors in Study Three had a slightly different view of Active Support, it remains clear that much or most of the variance in each of these measures of Citizenship Performance is accounted for by these other-rated measures of personality. In order to understand why the strength of the relationship between the other-rated personality dimensions of Conscientiousness and Agreeableness, and the performance construct of Citizenship Performance, has been overlooked by previous researchers, it was necessary to reconsider the basic reasons for disagreement in ratings. Agreement between raters tends to vary considerably, depending on who is rating whom. Self-other agreement on ratings is typically modest, other-other agreement tends to be higher, but alternate-form and test-retest agreement are typically higher still. The reasons for this appear to be related to the extent to which ratings are produced using similar observations, and integrating these in similar ways, as well as the extent to which ratings are affected by specific aspects of individual rater-ratee relationships. Previous research has provided estimates for these effects which can be used to correct correlations for resulting biases. When these are applied to correlations between ratings of measures, such as performance or personality, which are provided by different other-raters, these correlations approximate unity. This includes the correlations, reported in this dissertation, between other-rated personality and other-rated Citizenship Performance. In conclusion, the results of the research reported in this dissertation are consistent with the idea that measures of Citizenship Performance are largely accounted for by other-rated measures of Conscientiousness and Agreeableness. It is argued that this conclusion is consistent with the lexical hypothesis which underlay the development of the FFM, as well as with the theoretical basis for the construct of performance. The dissertation concludes with a discussion of the implications of this conclusion, for a range of fields, including understanding the relationship between personality and performance, methodological consequences for future research, and practical implications for staff selection and performance appraisal systems.

Choices made in highly uncertain settings problematise the concept of rationality in decisions-making. Notably, educational choices are conducted on uncertain ground as future prospects in labour markets are always risky. Educational choices should also correspond to values of self-actualisation – derived from ideologies of High modernity (individualisation) –which in turn makes the decision even harder. Many studies have researched risk-taking and economic risk assessments in educational choices. Studies have also shown the effects of individualisation and capitalisation in modern societies. However, few studies on education take both economic and self-developing values into consideration, and even fewer examine the rationality in self-actualisation. This dissertation analyses rationality derived from social circumstances – in this case academia – in order to explain how students make their educational decisions and how they are affected by academic settings during their studies. To investigate this, a survey was constructed and sent to students. Statistical (correlation; group comparisons) and qualitative content analysis was used to interpret the data. The findings suggest that rationality in educational decisions mainly derives from self-interest, but also that academic settings promote this approach. This implicates that uncertainty is dealt with in social environments, and that rationality is essentially a social construction built and harboured within institutional settings.

The purpose of this study was to quantify core academic middle school teachers’ (English/language arts, mathematics, science, and social science) perspectives of career education. Prior research denotes that if career education exposure and awareness is provided in middle school grades, then students have the potential to develop a valuable understanding of various occupations available in the future (Akos, Konold, & Niles, 2004). Students observe what the work accomplishes and the effort required for the employee to be successful. If the occupation interests the students, then an increased motivation to complete their studies is likely to develop as they see the connection between what is taught in class and the opportunity for the desired career (Schaefer, & Rivera, 2012). In order to achieve that, the first step is to understand the teaching community’s viewpoint on career education and to use that knowledge to build successful programs. Teachers employed in a large school district in southeastern United States at the time of the study indicated their understanding of the concepts of future career orientation and career integration in its present state of use. The researcher distributed the tested CareerStart Teacher Perspective Survey (CTPS) and a selection of teacher related variables from charter, magnet, and traditional public middle schools to populate the study (n=199). Using ANOVA and regression analysis, the study found a significant difference in the value of future orientation and overall career education factors from males versus females. In addition, teachers ages 25-44 had a higher mean value for all factors than teachers of other age groups. There were no significant differences amongst teachers’ value of career education between the three different types of schools. This study contributes to the body of research pertaining to teacher perspectives of career education at the middle school level.

There is a rising trend of international students studying at universities worldwide, with a substantial percentage enrolling each term in blended and online modules. This means that assignments such as online group work create unique spaces for intercultural learning and collaboration in ways unprecedented a mere ten to twenty years ago. Online intercultural group work stands to benefit students’ lives by allowing them to encounter new ideas and values, as well as challenge cultural stereotypes and biases. However, positive intercultural group work experiences do not occur easily or naturally. Indeed, previous work has highlighted that students encounter challenges when working with peers from different countries, including a lack of social relationships, cultural differences in behaviours and participation variations. These challenges limit the potential benefits of online intercultural collaboration. One gap in the current literature which this research has addressed is a bridge between student reflections and measurable behaviours in online intercultural group work in order to understand how complex variables interact and impact experiences. A second important gap is related to which evidence-based interventions can support positive collaborations. These issues were addressed by this research using a dynamic mixed methods approach across four empirical studies. In the first half of the thesis, a holistic picture was sought of the interweaving variables and sociocultural challenges impacting online intercultural group work. A quantitative laboratory study incorporating learning analytics and social network analysis highlighted that social network diversity and cultural traits strongly impacted participation. This was next evaluated through in-depth interviews using a unique mediating artefact method. These findings provided a nuanced understanding of the importance of social relationship building in intercultural group work, with low-performing students particularly in need of additional support. The second half of the thesis evaluated one potential support system for encouraging positive online group work experiences: the internationalisation of academic content by incorporating international elements into assignment tasks. Previous research and theoretical work have suggested that internationalisation can improve participation and encourage engagement. However, there are relatively few studies that have empirically tested this suggestion, particularly against a baseline of ‘local’ content to measure the added value of internationalisation. This thesis tested this notion through a rigorous randomised control trial study comparing student behaviours using local versus internationalised academic content. The findings indicated that internationalising the group work content led to small improvements in online participation. A follow-up mixed methods questionnaire outlined that students valued their diverse group members’ contributions higher when working with internationalised content, but that internationalisation added additional complexities to their experiences and group dynamics. The findings also suggested that internationalisation is not ‘one size fits all’ and that international topics must be personally relevant to students’ backgrounds and experiences to elicit benefits. Altogether, this research has unpacked student experiences when engaging with peers from different countries and when working with diverse academic content in blended and online settings. In doing so, a holistic picture of the complexities of internationalisation is provided, along with suggestions for improving and encouraging online intercultural collaboration.

Objectives: To evaluate the influence of pharmacist interventions on drug and dosage prescribing in pediatric settings. Method: Demographic, clinical, and prescribing data and parents’ measurement data were evaluated by pre- and post studies including time series studies and control groups. The data was evaluated against Australian Therapeutic Guidelines. Educational intervention strategies were designed and administered and a post-intervention evaluation was conducted. Group comparisons were made using x2 and Student’s t-test statistics. Time series analysis involved multiple linear regression analysis. Results: The major study involved antibiotics and analgesic drugs and dosages in appendectomy in children. Significant improvements occurred in the selection and dosages of prophylactic antibiotics @<0.001) and in subsequent ward antibiotic treatments @<0.001) also showed marked conformity with the guidelines Other pediatric studies involved liquid medication dosing and prescribing accuracy for paracetamol in a developing country where a simple intervention produced very marked improvements @<0.001). An intervention in severe community-acquired pneumonia showed an improvement in the prescription of appropriate drugs @<0.001) and appropriate dosages of paracetamol (pConclusion: This study has identified deficiencies related to the prescribing of antibiotics and analgesics in children. There was a varied level of improvement in the drug dosage prescribing of pediatricians following the pharmacist educational intervention. Locally developed guidelines are more likely to be accepted and followed than those developed nationally without local input.

This study investigated: i) whether Indonesian students transfer their Indonesian (L1) schema, rhetorical structures, and cultural conventions when engaged in seminars in English (L2) in Indonesian academic contexts; ii) whether Australian students transfer their Australian English (L1) schema, rhetorical structures, and cultural conventions when engaged in seminar presentations in Indonesian (L2) in Australian academic contexts; iii) the extent to which and in what ways the respective schema, rhetorical structures, and cultural conventions differ; iv) the functions of discourse markers in these seminars; and v) the use of signposts in presentations.The analysis of the schema, the rhetorical structures, and cultural conventions is limited to: i) the overall schema of a seminar; ii) the major components of a presentation; iii) the exchange structure of the question and answer sessions; iv) the rhetorical structure of presentation introductions; iv) the rhetorical structure of questions; and v) the rhetorical structure of answers.The data were obtained from tape and video recordings of four groups of student seminars as presented below.1. Indonesian students' seminars conducted in Indonesian in Indonesian academic settings.2. Indonesian students' seminars conducted in English in Indonesian academic settings.3. Australian students' seminars conducted in English in Australian academic settings.4. Australian students' seminars conducted in Indonesian in Australian academic settings.The Indonesian students' seminars in Indonesian and in English were held at the IKIP (Higher Institution for Teacher Training) Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia. The Australian students' seminars in English were held at Curtin University of Technology, Australia. The Australian students' seminars in Indonesian were held at Curtin University of Technology and Murdoch University, Australia. The ++
seminars were part of students' course assignments. The topics of the seminars were social and educational issues. The age of the students ranged from 20 to 30 years old.A total of 67 seminars comprised the data. The findings have shown that:(i) Indonesian students transfer their Ll schema, rhetorical structures, and cultural conventions when engaging in seminars conducted in English in Indonesian academic settings.(ii) Australian students transfer their Ll schema, rhetorical structures, and cultural conventions when engaging in seminars conducted in Indonesian in Australian academic settings.(iii) Indonesian students' schema, rhetorical structures, and cultural conventions in seminars conducted in Indonesian differ from the Australian students' schema, rhetorical structures, and cultural conventions in seminars conducted in English.(iv) The equivalent discourse markers across the four groups have the same functions.(v) Indonesian students used more signposts in their presentations in English than the rest of the groups.The report of the study is presented in nine sections as shown below.Section A presents the introduction, review of the related literature, and methodology. Section B presents findings of the Indonesian data in Indonesian.Section C presents findings of the Australian data in English.Section D compares the findings of the Indonesian data in Indonesian and the Australian data in English.Section E presents the findings of the Indonesian data in English.Section F compares the findings between: i) the Indonesian data in Indonesian and the Indonesian data in English; and ii) the Indonesian data in English and the Australian data in English.Section G presents the findings of the Australian data in Indonesian.Section H compares the findings between: i) the Australian data in English and the Australian data in Indonesian; and ii) the Australian data in ++
Indonesian and the Indonesian data in Indonesian.Section I presents conclusions, implications, and recommendations for further study.

During the past quarter century, over 1000 articles have documented changes in student behaviors related to participation in mastery learning programs. Although the results have been generally positive, a debate continues as to the cause for increased student performance: Are results due to changes in how students attend to the information, or simply due to increased study time as a result of remediation? In this study, a videodisc-based program in fractions was used with fifth-grade students. The videodisc-based instruction was chosen to help minimize differences in instructional materials, instructional time, and instructional delivery. A pretest-posttest, control-group design was used to compare academic achievement, locus of control, and goal setting scores of two groups (N=154). Both groups received instruction in fractions via the teacher-directed, videodisc-based Mastering Fractions program. Treatment 1 students (N=80) were knowledgeable that they were participating in a mastery-learning program and would be held accountable for their progress and remediation. Treatment 2 students (N=74) were not aware that their teacher was using mastery learning principles to determine progression and remediation. A control group (N=32) received their normal grade five mathematics program. Comparisons between Treatment 1 and Treatment 2 student scores, after adjustments for pretest results using analysis of covariance, revealed standardized mean difference effect sizes of +0.03 for achievement, +0.32 for locus-of-control, and +0.46 for goal setting mean scores favoring Treatment 1. A discrepancy in implementation of the videodisc program in two classes may have skewed results. When data from these two classes were omitted, the analyses showed adjusted standardized mean difference effect sizes of +0.63 for achievement, +0.75 for locus-of-control, and +0.55 for goal setting mean scores favoring Treatment 1. A two-way analysis of covariance with treatment groups and achievement levels was also conducted. Subsequent standardized mean difference effect sizes using adjusted mean scores were greatest for students from the lowest achievement level (+0.64 for internal locus-of-control and +0.55 for goal setting mean scores). When data from the two discrepant classes were omitted, the adjusted standardized mean difference effect sizes were found to be + 1.24 for internal locus-of-control and + 1.06 for goal setting mean scores favoring students from the lowest achievement level. Implications of these results for mastery learning programs in public schools are discussed.

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Bachelors
Education
Exceptional Education

This study investigated: i) whether Indonesian students transfer their Indonesian (L1) schema, rhetorical structures, and cultural conventions when engaged in seminars in English (L2) in Indonesian academic contexts; ii) whether Australian students transfer their Australian English (L1) schema, rhetorical structures, and cultural conventions when engaged in seminar presentations in Indonesian (L2) in Australian academic contexts; iii) the extent to which and in what ways the respective schema, rhetorical structures, and cultural conventions differ; iv) the functions of discourse markers in these seminars; and v) the use of signposts in presentations.The analysis of the schema, the rhetorical structures, and cultural conventions is limited to: i) the overall schema of a seminar; ii) the major components of a presentation; iii) the exchange structure of the question and answer sessions; iv) the rhetorical structure of presentation introductions; iv) the rhetorical structure of questions; and v) the rhetorical structure of answers.The data were obtained from tape and video recordings of four groups of student seminars as presented below.1. Indonesian students' seminars conducted in Indonesian in Indonesian academic settings.2. Indonesian students' seminars conducted in English in Indonesian academic settings.3. Australian students' seminars conducted in English in Australian academic settings.4. Australian students' seminars conducted in Indonesian in Australian academic settings.The Indonesian students' seminars in Indonesian and in English were held at the IKIP (Higher Institution for Teacher Training) Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia. The Australian students' seminars in English were held at Curtin University of Technology, Australia. The Australian students' seminars in Indonesian were held at Curtin University of Technology and Murdoch University, Australia. The seminars were part of students' course assignments. The topics of the seminars were social and educational issues. The age of the students ranged from 20 to 30 years old.A total of 67 seminars comprised the data. The findings have shown that:(i) Indonesian students transfer their Ll schema, rhetorical structures, and cultural conventions when engaging in seminars conducted in English in Indonesian academic settings.(ii) Australian students transfer their Ll schema, rhetorical structures, and cultural conventions when engaging in seminars conducted in Indonesian in Australian academic settings.(iii) Indonesian students' schema, rhetorical structures, and cultural conventions in seminars conducted in Indonesian differ from the Australian students' schema, rhetorical structures, and cultural conventions in seminars conducted in English.(iv) The equivalent discourse markers across the four groups have the same functions.(v) Indonesian students used more signposts in their presentations in English than the rest of the groups.The report of the study is presented in nine sections as shown below.Section A presents the introduction, review of the related literature, and methodology. Section B presents findings of the Indonesian data in Indonesian.Section C presents findings of the Australian data in English.Section D compares the findings of the Indonesian data in Indonesian and the Australian data in English.Section E presents the findings of the Indonesian data in English.Section F compares the findings between: i) the Indonesian data in Indonesian and the Indonesian data in English; and ii) the Indonesian data in English and the Australian data in English.Section G presents the findings of the Australian data in Indonesian.Section H compares the findings between: i) the Australian data in English and the Australian data in Indonesian; and ii) the Australian data in Indonesian and the Indonesian data in Indonesian.Section I presents conclusions, implications, and recommendations for further study.

PONTIFÍCIA UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DO RIO DE JANEIRO
Esta pesquisa consiste em uma investigação sobre o ato de fala pedido em e-mails em ambiente acadêmico. Baseando-se em conceitos da Pragmática, da Sociolinguística Interacional e do Interculturalismo, analisam-se pedidos encaminhados por estudantes brasileiros de graduação e de pós-graduação a diferentes professores. A análise preliminar dos e-mails envolve a identificação dos atos principais e a categorização dos pedidos segundo uma escala de diretividade. Em seguida, a pesquisa propõe-se a identificar as estratégias predominantes utilizadas para a elaboração de pedidos, verificar como pedidos de diferentes graus de imposição se relacionam com o grau de diretividade empregado e com elementos mitigadores para a preservação da face e investigar como as escolhas dos estudantes podem ser influenciadas por fatores culturais. Após a análise de dados, é apresentada uma proposta pedagógica com aplicabilidade em sala de aula de português para estrangeiros a fim de estimular a reflexão sobre a importância de se considerar a competência intercultural como um objetivo pedagógico. Por fim, os resultados desta pesquisa podem servir como subsídio para professores que desejem trabalhar com ato de fala pedido, conferindo especial atenção à relação entre diversidade cultural e aprendizagem de uma língua, e para futuras pesquisas que tenham como objetivo investigar se há diferenças no modo como falantes nativos e aprendizes de português fazem pedidos por meio de e-mails em ambiente acadêmico.
This research consists of an investigation on the speech act of request in e-mail interaction within the university context. Relying on concepts from Pragmatics, Interactional Sociolinguistics and Interculturalism, the research examines email requests sent by Brazilian undergraduate and graduate students to their professors. The preliminary analysis of the emails involves the identification of each head act and its categorization with regard to the degree of directness. Then we propose to identify the request strategies preferred by the students to make requests and verify how requests of different levels of imposition on the professor relate to the directness levels employed and to mitigators to protect face. This study also accounts for cultural factors which influence students choices and decisions. After the data analysis, we present some pedagogical suggestions for Portuguese language teaching for foreigners in order to promote reflection on the importance of considering intercultural competence as a pedagogical goal. Finally, the results of this research may not only serve as an important resource for teachers wishing to teach the speech act of requests, paying particular attention to the relationship between cultural diversity and language learning, but also for future researchers interested in investigating whether there are differences in the way native speakers of Brazilian Portuguese and learners of Brazilian Portuguese make email requests in the university context.

Cross-ethnic friendships are likely to constitute an important feature of children’s social world in multiethnic educational settings such as London secondary schools, which are now more ethnically diverse than ever. This thesis extends current knowledge on cross-ethnic friendships by examining the prevalence and effects of such friendships on various developmental outcomes among ethnic majority and minority status children attending multiethnic schools. While Chapter 1 presented an overview of the literature on cross-ethnic friendships, following empirical chapters (Chapters 2-6) demonstrated findings from a comprehensive 3-wave school study conducted in London schools. Chapter 2 focused on patterns of cross-ethnic friendships and showed specific relationships between ethnic diversity, ethnic group and cross-ethnic friendships. Chapter 3 indicated that cross-ethnic friendships are related to positive outcomes such as psychological well-being, resilience and academic outcomes and moderate the negative effects of discrimination. Chapter 4 showed that interpersonal processes of self-disclosure and ideal self affirmation mediated the associations between cross-ethnic friendships and well-being measures. Chapter 5 examined anxiety and intimate self-disclosure in both same- and cross-ethnic friendships and indicated that reduced anxiety is a unique process whereby cross-ethnic friendships relate to positive outcomes. Chapter 6 revealed longitudinal associations between cross-ethnic friendships and positive outcomes and showed that these associations are stronger in classrooms with lower classroom racial tension. Finally, Chapter 7 investigated cross-ethnic friendships in the light of motivational outcomes; results of two experimental studies indicated that mental representations of cross-ethnic friendships may have effects on future career and academic choices of ethnic minority young adolescents. Overall, findings show that cross-ethnic friendships are important resources for children, providing benefits for the development of psychological, academic and motivational outcomes among children. The role of cross-ethnic friendships on positive development is discussed in the light of ethnic group differences and implications for school policies in multiethnic settings (Chapter 8).

Objectives: To assess the use of the “Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals” standards in practice and academic work settings by public health nurses (PHNs), and to determine differences between practitioners and faculty. Design: Nonexperimental, descriptive study using a cross‐sectional survey. Sample: Three public health nursing (PHN) organizations sent invitations to all members. A total of 334 (18.7%) from an estimated 1,786 members completed the survey. Measurements: The investigators developed a 17‐item web‐based survey with open‐ and closed‐ended responses, using Rogers' diffusion of innovations as a theoretical framework. Results: Respondents are equally familiar with the competencies for public health professionals disseminated by the Council on Linkages and for PHNs by the Quad Council of Public Health Nursing Organizations (Quad Council). Two thirds of PHNs are aware of the competencies after only 2 years, primarily from professional PHN organizations. Faculty are adopting and using the competencies at a significantly faster rate than practitioners. Conclusions: Faculty and practitioners who use the competencies value them, and rarely discontinued their use after adoption. Efforts to promote diffusion among faculty and especially practitioners need to continue. Professional organizations can actively provide and share examples of useable formats and best practices associated with the competencies.

The use of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) in acute care settings has drastically increased within the past 20 years. Research has indicated that NPPV is equally as effective as traditional mechanical ventilation(MV) in treating acute exacerbations of chronic pulmonary obstructive disease (COPD) and cardiogenic pulmonary edema. Furthermore, the risk of complication from NPPV is much lower than MV, in terms of ventilator-associated pneumonia and sepsis. It is imperative for the nurse to understand the various indications, interfaces, and potential complications associated with NPPV use. In addition to treating acute exacerbations of COPD and cardiogenic pulmonary edema, NPPV has been used for prevention of reintubation, palliative care, and status asthmaticus. Furthermore, NPPV could be delivered through various interfaces, such as nasal, facial, and helmet. Each of these interfaces could eventually cause complications for the patient, such as skin ulceration and sepsis. However, there is limited amount of research available discussing the role of the nurse in caring for the patient with NPPV. There are no standardized guidelines established to assist the nurse in this care, in terms of interface selection, prevention of complications, and staffing patterns. Several recommendations are presented at the end of this thesis to guide future nursing research, education, and clinical practice, such as exploring the role of oral care and education for NPPV patients.
B.S.N.
Bachelors
Nursing
Nursing

Over the last few decades, the interpersonal dimensions of academic writing have received growing attention in the field of applied linguistics. As an important concept in academic writing, engagement has been a topic of interest to reveal how writers interact with readers to, for example, guide reasoning through arguments and to abide by conventions of politeness. Previous research has suggested that the higher students’ academic level is, the more similar their use of engagement elements in writing will be. Previous research has also suggested that for non-native speakers, cultural factors as well as interlanguage, influence how engagement features are used in written English. The primary aim of this study was to investigate which engagement patterns could be found in L1 Swedish and L1 English students’ academic writing in English, with the focus on linguistics as a subject. Using the methods of corpus linguistics, this project also strove to identify the ways patterns of engagement differed between L1 Swedish and L1 English students, and in what ways patterns of engagement varied between the students at B-levels and C-levels in written English of linguistics studies. The data for the study came from SUSEC, which is a corpus of written English that consists of texts collected at Stockholm University in Sweden and at King’s College in England. In line with previous research, the results indicate that the L1 Swedish students use more elements of engagement than the L1 English students. Results also suggest that C-level students use fewer reader pronouns than B-level students, and that Swedish C-level students use more directives than Swedish B-level students. Overall, the comparison of students with two different first languages revealed several differences on how engagement is used, which can serve to inform future research on academic writing.

Sports-related concussions are a growing public health concern affecting numerous varsity football student-athletes. This study used the social ecological model to identify intrapersonal, interpersonal, and environmental factors. The purpose of this study is to identify constraints and facilitators in academic and athletic settings for varsity football student-athletes with a sport-related concussion. Twelve current varsity football student-athletes from one institution who suffered a sport-related concussion took part in semi-structured interviews. Data were thematically analyzed. Results indicate that varsity football student-athletes with a sport-related concussion perceived numerous constraining and facilitating social ecological factors in the academic and athletic settings. Intrapersonal constraints revolved around loss of motivation, loss of social identification, stress, anxiety and depression, injury-specific issues (i.e. difficulty thinking clearly, remembering, drowsiness), internal pressure to return, while intrapersonal facilitators included prior experiences of enjoyment in academic and athletic activities, seeing improvements in the recovery process, and not giving up. Interpersonal constraints related to insufficient social support, lack of awareness and guidance on concussion knowledge, external pressure to return, and lack of academic support post-concussion, while interpersonal facilitators included passionate therapy staff, and sport psychologist. Environmental constraints pertained to return-to-play and return-to-learn protocols, while environmental facilitators included having access to concussion-based resources. Findings suggest that there remains a need to address constraining and facilitating factors in the academic and athletic settings for varsity football student-athletes with a sport-related concussion

A correlational study investigated the nature of excuses, including the relationship of excuse complexity, uniqueness, frequency, and success to the level of knowledge the recipient has about the excuse giver. Analysis of results from responses of 121 participants to questionnaires describing excuses to employers, teachers, parents, and spouse/boy/girlfriends found that the complexity and uniqueness of excuses vary positively with the knowledge level of the recipient, but only when an unequal power relationship exists between the recipient and the excuse giver. Excuses to recipients with a low personal knowledge level of the excuse giver, such as employers or teachers, tended to be simple in nature, contained a minimum amount of information, and were usually common and frequently occurring. In contrast, excuses to recipients with a high personal knowledge of the excuse giver, such as parents who lived with the participants, tended to be complex in nature, contained significantly larger amounts of information, were generally more specific to the excuse giver and less frequently occurring. Old excuses were used more than new excuses in all contexts. Previously used excuses were also more frequent in low or neutral confidence conditions, and were more likely to be successful. Excuses were more successful to employers or teachers than to parents or spouse/boy girlfriends. Different categories emerged for different recipients of the excuses: the illness category was used most in the work context, and the miscellaneous category was used most in the parent and spouse/boy/girlfriend contexts. The influence of external control, and short and long term intimacy factors on the nature of excuses was discussed.

At-risk students in a secondary alternative school program were asked to complete an open, subjective questionnaire that explored their perceptions regarding both regular and alternative schools' attitudes toward, and response to, them as individuals. There also were questions about how these attitudes and responses made them feel about themselves and their school experience. Grounded theory-methodology was used to structure the study. Their feelings seemed to focus on basic human values and adult caring. Results support Maslow's theory that both physical and psychological needs fulfillment drive human decision and activity. Students indicated that when basic issues of safety and support were provided for in the school environment, they had more energy and concentration for growth and self-actualization through learning. Results of this qualitative study indicated that educators and support personnel should consider this area important to explore before reaching conclusions regarding how to communicate effectively with, or further restructure programs to serve at-risk students.

Challenging problems require transdisciplinary, novel solutions. Equity demands that all students receive appropriate services to develop talents and potential, however, poverty limits opportunity. According to the National Association for Gifted Children (2017), approximately 6% to 10% of all students exist within the gifted and talented range. A specific subset of this demographic, underrepresented gifted and talented (UGT) student fail to receive appropriate access to develop their creativity and leadership potential. Grounded in the Human Ecology Theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1979), this case study argues that talent development requires arts education to enrich and support UGT students. Application of a qualitative case study, design process allowed authentic interviews of professionals working in the fields of gifted and talented education, fine art, elementary education, and student advocacy to develop. The themes and opinions regarding equity, UGT students, and arts education discovered in this study provide salient recommendations for the academic community.

Sehnsucht (longing) and alienation were two central themes of 19th century German Romanticism in literature, music and art. Franz Schubert was one of the great masters of the Romantic era to understand and express these intense emotions through his compositions. This paper discusses Sehnsucht and alienation in Schubert’s settings of the Mignon songs from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s novel Wilhelm Meisters Lehjahre (Master William’s Apprenticeship). Mignon, a secondary character in this novel, is a prime example of one who experiences these emotions and whose principal medium of expressing herself is through her five songs. My thesis focuses on how Schubert portrays Mignon’s longing through use of dissonance, harmonic progressions, melodic contour and shifts in vocal register.
iv, 46 leaves ; 29 cm

Objectives: To evaluate the influence of pharmacist interventions on drug and dosage prescribing in pediatric settings. Method: Demographic, clinical, and prescribing data and parents’ measurement data were evaluated by pre- and post studies including time series studies and control groups. The data was evaluated against Australian Therapeutic Guidelines. Educational intervention strategies were designed and administered and a post-intervention evaluation was conducted. Group comparisons were made using x2 and Student’s t-test statistics. Time series analysis involved multiple linear regression analysis. Results: The major study involved antibiotics and analgesic drugs and dosages in appendectomy in children. Significant improvements occurred in the selection and dosages of prophylactic antibiotics @<0.001) and in subsequent ward antibiotic treatments @<0.001) also showed marked conformity with the guidelines Other pediatric studies involved liquid medication dosing and prescribing accuracy for paracetamol in a developing country where a simple intervention produced very marked improvements @<0.001). An intervention in severe community-acquired pneumonia showed an improvement in the prescription of appropriate drugs @<0.001) and appropriate dosages of paracetamol (p