6834 research outputs found
Sort by
Inquiry-based learning as an instructional choice to support comprehension : a comparative case study of three instructional units within an elementary classroom.
No full textPushing back against deficit-based skills instruction, this study offers an asset-based alternative by describing the implementation of an inquiry-based researcher's workshop that integrated social studies and literacy content in a fourth-grade, Title 1, public-school classroom. This comparative case study investigates the effectiveness of inquiry in improving student comprehension and meeting diverse student needs. To do so, multiple types of data are used to categorize and demonstrate student growth through the three separate inquiry units implemented over the course of one school year. Upon analysis, inquiry's structures, including student-centered, scaffolded, collaborative, contextualized, and explicit instruction, emerge as powerful tools to enhance diverse students' comprehension. This study provides implications for other educators in helping students reach deeper comprehension through a holistic view of literacy
The relationship between acclimation and retention for traditional‐aged students enrolled in online bachelor's programs : a qualitative case study.
No full textOnline learning in higher education has steadily grown since the early part of the 21st century, and traditional-aged students are now sometimes enrolling in online programs over their traditional campus counterparts. Unfortunately, online student attrition is a serious issue for many universities, and understanding the online student population is vital to ensuring student retention and academic success. Little research exists on how traditional-aged students acclimate to online learning. Using online learning readiness theory to guide this study, I used a qualitative holistic single case study to understand how traditional-aged students acclimated to their online undergraduate programs at a university geared toward non-traditional students. The university I selected typically steered traditional-aged students to campus programs yet still accepted a small portion of its students to their online programs. I used semi-structured interviews and a focus group to collect data on their experiences in the first year of their program. The purpose of this case study was to understand how traditional-aged students acclimated to online learning in higher education during the first year of their online program by examining readiness factors, technology skills, motivation, and perceived usefulness of learning. I found an abrupt transition increases stress, and the students needed support as they adjusted especially when helping younger online students acclimate. Connecting with other students and feeling part of the school are important to avoid feeling isolated and becoming demotivated. Students wanted faculty engagement and course standardization while learning because their absence led to stress, anxiety, and burnout. The findings from this study support the implementation of full-time teaching faculty in online undergraduate programs. Administrators can positively influence how students adjust to their online environment by hiring faculty dedicated solely to their learning. Administrators can also facilitate student acclimation by providing ways to connect them with their classmates and the university. Teaching faculty need to effectively engage with their online students by getting to know them and finding ways to utilize their specific learning styles within the online environment. Incorporating collaborative projects in the curriculum will also benefit student collaboration and connection
Laws of the land : ecomedieavlism and the politics of property in nineteenth-century transatlantic literature.
No full textAmerican medievalism has long been explained as a phenomenon responding to the influence of British medievalism. While other scholars have demonstrated the complexities of the relationship between the two nations' approaches to medievalism before, I argue that instead of simply borrowing medievalism or adapting medievalism, both British and American writers use medievalism to have a shared conversation. My dissertation demonstrates that medievalism was a popular discourse because it allowed the two nations, with shared histories, to have a mutually intelligible conversation about property law. Specifically, by returning to the perceived origins of property law, such as medieval hunting law and the implementation of feudalism, both British and American writers could develop their ideas about the relationship between property law and national identity. To demonstrate the flexibility of medievalism and the continuity of these ideas, I examine three pairs of authors across three genres: the Gothic novels of William Godwin and Charles Brockden Brown; the historical romances of Walter Scott and James Fenimore Cooper; and the time travel novels of William Morris and Mark Twain. Furthermore, I connect all three pairings through an analysis of one of the oddest features of American medievalism, the medievalizing of Indigenous characters, to demonstrate that the historiographical discourse about the Middle Ages and about land policy (hunting and agriculture) plays a major role in providing continuity across a highly flexible discourse
The neuroinflammatory effects of acrolein on the human microglial HMC3 cell line in relation to Alzheimer's Disease.
No full textAcrolein is a highly reactive compound that causes oxidative stress and inflammation. Excessive microglial M1 activation leads to production of pro-inflammatory factors; these factors, and subsequent neuroinflammation, have been associated with risk of developing AD pathology. The main exposure source of acrolein consists of smoking tobacco products. The daily dosage of acrolein due to cigarettes can range from 500 to 2,800 µg per day for a heavy smoker, while the dosage from e-cigarettes can range from 1.8–9 ug of acrolein. The first goal was to investigate the cytotoxicity of acrolein on the human microglial HMC3 cell line using MTT cytotoxicity & lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays. The second goal of this study was to determine the effect of acrolein on microglial production of neuroinflammatory cytokines and other related AD pathology proteins. These proteins were measured using immunocytochemistry (ICC) and proteomics protein multiplexing. This study provides a novel understanding of how exposure to acrolein, through use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes, can lead to a higher risk of developing AD pathology. Acrolein was proven to be cytotoxic at a much lower concentration (1-2 ug/mL) than the concentration that a heavy smoker is exposed to on a daily basis. Second, cell death and disruption, determined by LDH assay, was found to be significant at concentrations as low as 5 ug/mL. Furthermore, increased expression of CD86, measured through ICC, proved that the microglial samples being tested were M1 activated. Increased expression of RAGE, a suggested to be more potent biomarker of AD than amyloid-beta, is associated with a higher risk of developing AD. Decreased expression of P2Y12 is associated with unhealthy microglial cells. Increased IL-1B production is associated with progression of neuroinflammation, leading to development of AD through the nueroinflammatory pathway of AD pathology. Increased production of TNF-a was noted at the concentration of 2 ug/mL, but not at the concentration of 1 ug/mL. TNF-a up-regulation leads to NF-kB pathway activation. Finally, increased production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, such as IL-6 and IL-8, measured through proteomics protein multiplexing, shows that acrolein exposure has the potential to increase the risk of developing AD
A case for Inclusive Language Frameworks : examining the role of DEI on Texas FQHC websites.
Get PDFInclusive Language Frameworks (ILF) are helpful tools for practicing equitable communication at Texas Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC). This mixed methods content analysis identifies equitable communication strengths of Texas FQHCs and makes recommendations for further implementing ILF principles. Schein's Theory of Organizational Culture is used to assess Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) values and ILF artifacts. Findings revealed that the majority of FQHCs do not use identity-based descriptors according to ILF practices or articulate the root causes of health inequity, but they do make statements espousing DEI values. Additionally, rural FQHCs are more likely to espouse DEI values, while urban FQHCs are more likely to correctly implement ILF practices
Women in Literary Tradition : How Female Representation in Literature Reflects Societal Values.
No full textHumanity has been connected across centuries through the expression and preservation of literary traditions and figures as a means of communicating societal values. As time passes and societies change, so do their traditions and values; yet, while the details of the established literary traditions change, the subjects remain the same. This thesis will examine works from Roman Society, the Middle Ages, and the Contemporary Period, respectively, and discuss various authors such as Ovid, Chaucer, and Margaret Atwood. The works of these popular authors and others included in this thesis are all connected by their focus on and representation of these famous Greek women: Penelope, Sappho, Helen, Briseis, Medea, and Ariadne. Through the lens of Feminist Literary Criticism, this thesis examines how mythological and historical figures have been represented in literature across chronological periods and literary formats in response to popular societal expectations for women
Decreasing the dropout rate : examining the effects of mindfulness on decreasing anxiety in off-track-to-graduate high school students.
Get PDFThis quantitative study examines the effectiveness of mindfulness interventions in reducing anxiety levels among off-track-to-graduate high school students. These findings suggest that mindfulness-based practices hold promise as an intervention strategy for alleviating anxiety symptoms in this at-risk student population
Early childhood education administrators' knowledge and skills of leadership practices and core competencies.
No full textWith limited knowledge surrounding the role of the ECE administrator, it is critical to understand what leadership skills and core competencies they use as a leader in their programs. Understanding the relationship between administrators who are currently enrolled in a statewide quality improvement program and their knowledge and practices of leadership skills identified by research and state resources to improve quality will help to further our understanding of the role of the ECE administrator and help to guide future programs and supports for administrators throughout the state-using a conceptual framework where school characteristics, state agencies, and administrators' demographic influence their leadership skills. A self-administered survey was distributed, and a combination of quantitative analyses was used to understand the differences between groups and their knowledge of core competencies and practice of leadership. Additionally, logistic regression was used to understand how administrators' leadership skills and demographics influence their knowledge of core competencies
The effect of mentoring in undergraduate STEM courses on mentors : a convergent mixed methods study.
No full textParadoxically, the highest number of undergraduate degrees conferred yearly comes from the disciplines with some of the lowest retention rates –science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This problem is exacerbated for underrepresented (UR) students, as well as for students of lower socioeconomic status (SES). While colleges and universities have implemented many strategies to increase retention in STEM, the problem still exists. Through the lens of Coleman's (1988) social capital framework, the current study utilized a convergent mixed methods design to investigate if mentoring leads undergraduate STEM mentors to accrue social capital that positively affects their academic and social outcomes. I collected demographic data and the GPAs of 116 former STEM mentors who participated in the HSI-STEM mentoring program at Queens College, City University of New York. Additionally, I collected the demographic data and GPAs of 100 STEM undergraduates who never served as mentors to use as the comparison group. I also used semi-structured interviews to evaluate the mentoring experience of six former mentors. Multiple linear regression showed that mentors had significantly higher GPAs than non-mentors, even when controlling for Pell status, transfer status, gender, and ethnicity. These results also showed mentoring had the biggest impact on the change seen in GPA. The interview responses supported the positive academic findings and provided more context around why the outcomes are so positive. Qualitative data suggested that mentoring helps mentors build social capital, a vital and integral part of a successful academic career. Mentoring allows the mentors to establish a community with various stakeholders in the school, acquire soft skills, be more intentional about academics, solidify career choices, and acquire knowledge about various types of diversity. These five experiences offer a unique social capital acquisition. The quantitative and qualitative findings infer that mentoring is an effective success strategy that provides mentors with numerous social and academic benefits. Higher education administrators should consider creating, or restructuring existing, undergraduate STEM mentor programs that maximize the experience for the mentors. Government agencies should provide more federal funding to schools that plan to start new mentor programs that target building the social capital for undergraduate STEM mentors
Labor market complexity : economic segmentation, dual labor markets, and workforce inequalities.
No full textThe value of job training and credentials for improving one's socioeconomic status is widely recognized. However, despite having these advantages, women and people of color still experience income inequality and the social burdens that come with it (England et al. 2020). While research has focused on human capital and individual choice, studies have shown that firm structure can significantly impact the economic returns of labor. Recently, researchers interested in the unexplained causes of the gender wage gap found evidence of structural roots of gender devaluation (Brick, Schneider, and Harknett 2023; Rotman and Mandel 2023). According to a study by Rubin and Reid (2003), the impact of the economic sector on labor market returns was found to be significant. Still, this theory has fallen out of favor in recent years, with most research focusing on human capital and labor market dualism. Based on the 2018 Current Population Survey data, my investigation supports Rubin and Reid's findings. It is evident that factors beyond the labor market, such as the economic sector, influence income returns. Further research could entail policy evaluation considering industry segmentation