6834 research outputs found
Sort by
The effectiveness of Title I funding : an improvement science quantitative study.
No full textAfter more than 50 years, the supplemental resources afforded through Title I have yet to eliminate the academic achievement gap between low socioeconomic students and their advantaged peers in fourth grade reading scores in k-12 education. As the largest educational intervention of the United States, Title I is designed to close the achievement gap between students living in poverty and their advantaged peers. The practical intervention chosen for this study will abide by the purpose and method of improvement science; however, the researcher will modify the PDSA framework to serve the outcome of this intervention. The researcher will conduct one PDSA cycle that will consist of two phases that exceed 90 days (about 3 months)
The Impact of Teacher Engagement on Student Engagement in Dance Education.
No full textThis study expands upon current research on the relationship between teacher and student engagement in the academic setting to explore this relationship in the extracurricular dance classroom. Among youth between the ages of eight and fourteen, 24 dancers were divided into two groups that each experienced high and low teacher engagement conditions while participating in dance instruction. Groups were counterbalanced so that each group experienced both conditions in reverse order. Neurophysiological and psychological engagement data were collected. In alignment with research on the positive correlation between teacher and student engagement in academics, high teacher engagement conditions resulted in high dancer engagement levels. However, in low teacher engagement conditions, a sequencing effect occurred depending on the low condition's order with respect to the high condition. After dancers first developed a relationship of care with the teacher in the high teacher engagement condition, the dancers then perceived the low teacher engagement as a challenge and were motivated to rise to what they perceived to be higher standards, resulting in significantly higher engagement scores than they had in the high condition. However, when experiencing the low condition first, dancers had not developed a relationship of care with the teacher, so they perceived this low teacher engagement as tiredness and detachment, leading to matching low dancer engagement. This study provides insight to dance teachers about the importance of first developing a foundational relationship of care and support within each class to then be able to progress into giving challenges and encouraging growth, producing high engagement and, in turn, maximizing achievement outcomes in dance
Unraveling Responsibility : Norfolk Southern Under Scrutiny After The East Palestine Train Derailment.
No full textOn February 3rd, 2023, a Norfolk Southern train traveling through East Palestine, Ohio derailed, releasing toxic chemicals into the nearby soil, waterways, and air. This prompted mass evacuations of East Palestine's residents and left lingering questions of the environmental and health effects. This thesis seeks to examine the causes of the derailment and Norfolk Southern's steps towards accountability. While exploring the environmental, health, transportation, and legal aspects of the derailment, this thesis will also identify the various areas where Norfolk Southern is culpable. With adequate litigation and legislative action, East Palestine will set a precedent for improved rail safety and environmental justice in communities neighboring railways
Personality moderates the relation between inflexibility and mental health symptoms as mediated by reactions to retirement losses in former competitors.
No full textResearch suggests that psychological inflexibility can increase adverse mental health outcomes, but studies have not examined how Big Five personality traits might moderate the effects of psychological inflexibility on mental health outcomes. Moreover, this relation has not been applied among former competitors, nor have studies included reactions to retirement losses as a potential mediator in the examination of inflexibility and mental health. Research has established the importance of "retiring well," but no studies to date have examined how inflexibility and personality may interact to predict outcomes like depression and anxiety. This study examines how inflexibility, reactions to retirement, and personality are associated with the mental health outcomes of depression and anxiety in a sample of former competitors within Drum Corps International, an elite marching and performance organization. Data were taken from a larger study examining which factors may impact transition from elite marching in DCI to everyday life. Results from 460 retired competitors (22-80 years) were analyzed. A loss of control reaction to retirement mediated the effect of inflexibility and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Conscientiousness moderated the effects of psychological inflexibility on anxiety and depressive symptoms through reactions to retirement losses. Specifically, at lower levels of Neuroticism, the size of the indirect effect of inflexibility on symptoms of depression through a loss of control response style was higher. Neuroticism was also a moderator of the indirect effect through positive reappraisal such that for those low on Neuroticism, inflexibility was associated with higher positive reappraisal, which predicted lower depressive symptoms. Extraversion attenuated the direct effect of inflexibility on the avoidant response style, but it did not moderate the indirect effects predicting symptoms of anxiety or depression. Conscientiousness attenuated the direct effect of inflexibility on both loss of control and avoidant response styles, but it did not moderate the indirect effects predicting symptoms of anxiety or depression. Clinical implications for providers of acceptance and commitment therapy are discussed
When was the election again? : an exploratory case study understanding the role of dissatisfaction and media on the Kansas City School Board election.
No full textSchool boards play a critical role in our representative democracy in the United States, and their policies directly influence the constituents they serve. School boards are the largest group of representative officials, with over 90,000 individuals serving on an elected board (Wilson, 2020). Yet, locally and nationally, school boards have some of the lowest voter turnout numbers of any election (Silva, 2019). Previous research has primarily focused on voter turnout in national elections. School board research has had a quantitative lens to prove turnout numbers and demographic information of voters (Berry & Howell, 2007); therefore, it was important to assess voter turnout in school board elections through a qualitative lens. The qualitative methodology serves to better understand voter perceptions about their choices to participate in school board elections. While qualitative studies have been conducted, they have focused on either school boards themselves or the dissatisfaction levels of voters (Ford & Ihrke, 2016; 2020). The exploratory single case study used media documents representing the information provided to voters and nine participant interviews with three voters and three non-voters to better understand the 2021 Kansas City school board election. The study explored how local media and dissatisfaction theory affected voter turnout and voter and non-voter motivation. Data analysis was conducted using both thematic and framework analysis. The study used three research questions to guide media document and interview data analysis. The three major themes highlighted election participation, local media's impact, and the presence of dissatisfaction theory. The first theme found that voters in the 2021 Kansas City school board election had little access to information about the election but also had little knowledge of the purpose of school boards. The second theme found that local media provided little coverage of the 2021 school board election, and when media was distributed, it provided little information to voters. The third theme found that voters had more knowledge of the Kansas City Public School District (KCPS) than they did about the Kansas City school board. Ultimately, the study found dissatisfaction in the community, but it did not motivate voters to participate in the election
Markers of Bioenergetic Changes in Liver Tissue from Young and Old Tumor-Bearing Mice.
No full textCancer cachexia is a hypermetabolic wasting disorder where energy output exceeds energy input, leading to bioenergetic changes in whole-body metabolic regulation. The liver is an important organ in glucose, fat, and amino acid metabolism. There is limited evidence suggesting both cancer and aging negatively affect these metabolic pathways; however, very little is known about these pathways when cancer cachexia is induced in older, age-appropriate mice. The purpose of this study was to examine changes in biomarkers of bioenergetics in the liver tissue of young and old cachectic mice. Young and old mice were divided into PBS control or LLC tumor-bearing mice. Tissues were collected after tumor development and underwent genetic analysis. Results indicate that there are differences in the differential expression of genes between the experimental and control groups
The role of calcium homeostasis in the function and dysfunction of cochlear outer hair cells.
No full textCochlear outer hair cells (OHCs) are uniquely vulnerable to both extrinsic and intrinsic cellular insults. Calcium signaling is important for OHC function. However, calcium dysregulation leads to OHC stress and subsequent death. Oncomodulin (OCM) is an EF-hand calcium-binding protein found in the mammalian cochlea. Deletion of OCM (Ocm KO) leads to a plethora of cellular disruptions that eventually result in early onset hearing loss. The overarching goal of these studies was to explore the cellular mechanisms that are involved in calcium-related stress in OHCs. Through cell culture experiments, we determined that OCM buffered calcium differently than two other physiologically relevant calcium-binding proteins. We used Ocm KO mice to magnify the consequences of calcium dysregulation in the inner ear. We found that during development, loss of OCM resulted in dysregulated calcium signaling starting at postnatal day 3. While Ocm KO OHCs continue to develop normally, continuous dysregulation of calcium results in a hearing loss phenotype in adult Ocm KO mice. Ocm KO mice are more susceptible to OHC loss following noise exposure. Additionally, Ocm KO mice had a reduced number of mitochondria, with and without noise exposure. While wildtype mice responded to noise exposure by upregulating pro-survival genes, Ocm KO mice had hallmarks of apoptosis. Through these experiments, we have determined that OCM protects OHCs against mitochondrial calcium overload through its unique buffering capabilities
Faith and trauma : a mixed methods investigation of the relationship between religion/spirituality and psychological outcomes in women after interpersonal violence.
No full textInterpersonal violence (IpV) in women, including physical and sexual assault, creates devastating and lasting effects on an individual's mental, physical, relational, and spiritual self. The current study was developed to further explore how various religious and spiritual (RS) concepts (God image and religious coping) are associated with psychological outcomes in IpV-exposed women. This exploratory study used a sequential mixed methods design by first employing interviews with exposed women (N = 9), which were followed by a national survey (N = 1,165; IpV: n = 538; Control: n = 627). This dissertation includes one qualitative article and two quantitative articles that outline the findings of these data. Findings reveal that women exposed to IpV report using their RS beliefs in the aftermath of this trauma, report higher psychological distress than the women not exposed to IpV, and that generational differences exist in psychological outcomes of women exposed to IpV. This work offers insight into the psychological effects of IpV in women and how generational differences effect these outcomes. It also offers recommendations for future research needed in this area
Balancing students' cognitive load in instructional design to ignite academic achievement in the fire academy : an exploratory case study.
No full textInstructional design in a fire academy is essential for high academic achievement while students learn the basics of firefighting and hazardous materials. It is critical to explore concerns about balancing the students' cognitive load because of a significant decline in academic achievement. Students pursuing a firefighting career at a community college in the U.S. currently face the problem of low academic achievement. The current study examined the cognitive load of fire academy students in the classroom. A qualitative exploration utilized cognitive load theory as the theoretical framework with a site approach to investigate how the intrinsic, extraneous, and germane loads reflected learning experience in gaining and retaining knowledge. Removing or minimizing classroom challenges can provide the academy with an instructional approach supporting higher-quality student performance. This exploratory case study engaged four female students, six male students, and five male instructors from the Midwestern Urban Community College's Fire Academy to communicate their perceptions of learning in the classroom. This qualitative exploration utilized cognitive load theory as the theoretical framework with a single site approach to investigate how the intrinsic, extraneous, and germane loads reflected learning experiences in gaining and retaining knowledge. Semi-structured interviews and classroom observations provided a pathway to gain insight into the participants' perception of learning in a classroom. This exploration found that having three courses in a 16-week semester was difficult for students without modifying the lecture-based classroom. This study also found there was a lack of student preparedness for classroom learning, making instruction more challenging. Therefore, the main finding challenged Midwestern Urban Community College and the Fire Science fire academy to reverse low academic achievement. Additional findings indicate that lectures leave out additional learning opportunities, including more hands-on learning. The implications of this study assist stakeholders with an awareness of what occurs in the classroom and the urgency of changing the instruction design of the classroom. Based on the results of this study, the fire academy should adopt a blended classroom giving students more time to study and prepare for learning both in theory and practice
Organized Crime and State Capacity in Mexico.
No full textThis thesis analyzes the relationship between state capacity and organized crime in Mexico. After first reviewing the leading causal models in literature today regarding the rise of organized crime, the definitions of both organized crime groups and state capacity are established in relation to this research. Then, a case study of two states in Mexico, Yucatán and Sinaloa, which have experienced different levels of cartel violence, reveals that low state capacity enables organized crime to increase in the region. While other causal factors may play a role in the rise of organized crime, the results of this case study suggest that state capacity reduces violence, even when other factors predicting violence are present