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Child Emotion-Regulation and Parent Psychological Flexibility Following an Integrated ACT-PMT Intervention for ADHD
No full textEmotion dysregulation symptoms in children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are common, and recent research suggests emotion dysregulation should be regarded as a central clinical feature of ADHD. Parent management training (PMT) is an empirically supported treatment and one of the most widely used behavioral interventions for ADHD. Although research supports its efficacy, child clinical characteristics, such as emotion regulation can influence PMT outcome. As emotion regulation is not a diagnostic criterion of ADHD, it is less often a primary treatment target in PMT for ADHD and is not directly measured in outcomes. Thus, PMT’s effects on emotion regulation have been under-evaluated. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a third-wave behavioral therapy that addresses negative internal experiences which may interfere with effective implementation of parenting strategies. Recent studies examining ACT in a parenting context have shown parallels between ACT processes and PMT goals, which may specifically address parenting factors beneficial to child emotion regulation. The current study examined the effects of an integrated ACT-PMT intervention for ADHD on child emotion regulation and parent psychological flexibility. The intervention included a two-session ACT intervention for parents and an eight-session PMT program with integrated ACT components. Data were drawn from an existing dataset from a larger single-case experimental design study examining feasibility and acceptability of the ACT-PMT intervention. Participants included five families (six total parents) with children ages 9-12 with a primary diagnosis of ADHD. Study phases included in the analyses were baseline, intervention (ten sessions), and follow-up phase. Norm-based measures were collected at each phase, and daily measures were collected throughout the entire intervention from baseline to follow-up. Findings suggested that parents engaged in use of experiential acceptance and defusion, and half of children experienced significant improvement in emotion regulation during the intervention. Most changes unfolded in a linear pattern at the beginning of the intervention or showed delayed linear improvement after session four. This is consistent with prior research highlighting the benefit of education and therapeutic alliance in early sessions and delayed improvement in skills such as psychological flexibility. Results from sequencing of change also showed that changes in parental defusion and child emotion regulation occurred concurrently for most cases, while no clear sequence was observed between parental acceptance and child emotion regulation. Results provide preliminary support for the benefits of ACT-PMT on parental psychological flexibility and child emotion regulation in ADHD
Method for Collecting and Embedding LiDAR spatial data into a TIFF image format using Python
No full textThis thesis explores another method for integrating LiDAR data and imaging, specifically embedding LiDAR data into TIFF image files, for the purpose of providing another dimension to objects taken in pictures. The resulting combined file enables the extraction of 3D information and provides a more accurate visual representation of the objects in the image. This paper discusses the benefits of utilizing TIFF files while navigating its file structure especially with the use of python. Python was the programming language used in this research due to its versatility and availability of frameworks and libraries such as Tifftools. LiDAR sensors are also introduced as a key tool for providing high resolution 3D views of the environment. This method provides insights into the process of embedding LiDAR data into image files and highlights the potential benefits of this technique for various fields, including 3D modeling and geospatial analysis
Preservice Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Adopting Learning Management Systems
No full textWith the rapid arrival of COVID-19, the global education community was forced to move from traditional face-to-face instruction to online instructional formats. The global pandemic drew attention to the insufficient training of many teachers in the field. This mixed-methods study aimed to determine preservice teachers’ (PSTs) attitudes toward using a learning management system (LMS) after exposure in their technology course at a southeast Texas university. This study utilized a retrospective survey design, allowing participants in the technology course to answer pre- and post-survey questions simultaneously. Additionally, PSTs were asked to consent to continue to an open-ended questionnaire section of the survey to discuss their opinions and opportunities provided to them during the instruction on an LMS. This study utilized data from the 2023 summer and fall semesters with a sample of 197 PSTs who responded. This study’s quantitative results indicated a significant difference between PSTs’ perceived usefulness of, perceived ease of use of, attitude toward using, intent to use, and perceived competency before and after exposure to an LMS in their Teacher Education Program (TEP) required technology course. However, no significant difference was found between the same factors based on PSTs’ certification levels before or after exposure to an LMS. The qualitative data revealed six themes related to both research questions. The themes were familiarity with an LMS, experience with an LMS, understanding an LMS as a teaching tool, challenges in learning and implementing an LMS, concerns and questions about LMS use, satisfaction with training and course structure, and positive changes in attitudes. The research concludes with implications for course professors, course design, TEPs, and advancement and use of technology and recommendations for future research
Feasibility and Acceptability of an Act-Enhanced BPT Intervention for Parents of Children with ADHD
Full text linkEngagement in behavioral parent training (BPT) interventions for parents of children with ADHD is often hindered by parenting stress due to the chronicity of the disorder. Recent literature within Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) paradigms suggests that avoidance of unwanted internal experiences may be associated with parenting stress and inflexible, ineffective parenting practices. Consequently, a BPT program designed to promote experiential acceptance (and, therefore, reduce experiential avoidance) may indirectly reduce parenting stress and enhance treatment outcomes. The project investigated the feasibility and acceptability of a novel ACT-enhanced BPT intervention for children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The ACT-enhanced BPT intervention was delivered via a telehealth platform and consisted of a two-session ACT protocol as a pre-treatment intervention in addition to integration of ACT-based skills (i.e., experiential acceptance, value-based parenting behaviors) in the subsequent BPT modules. Children ages 7-12 diagnosed with ADHD as a primary disorder and their caregivers were recruited and a final sample of six caregivers participated in this single-case experimental design. The project assessed the feasibility and acceptability of the ACT-enhanced intervention and provided pilot data on changes in parenting stress, strategy implementation, and experiential acceptance as a potential mechanism of change. Findings suggest favorable acceptability and feasibility of the intervention based on quantitative data (i.e., attendance, participation, utility ratings) and qualitative feedback from caregivers. Additionally, the intervention was associated with improvements in parenting stress and behavioral skills implementation. While experiential acceptance was not supported as a potential mechanism of change, caregiver feedback was instrumental for supporting other ACT processes as potential mediators of change. Overall, this project supported an ACT-informed parent training approach to create treatment gains for families who otherwise drop out or do not benefit from clinically significant improvements in traditional parent training for children with ADHD
Finding Aid for the Betty Ulrich Collection (CLA-26)
Full text linkThe Betty Ulrich Collection consists of scrapbooks, photo albums, correspondence, photographs, family records, genealogical records, awards, certificates, military records, and miscellaneous materials, documenting the life and professional career of Betty Ulrich of Clear Lake City, Texas, and later Webster, Texas. Ulrich and her husband were some of the first residents to move into the newly-planned community of Clear Lake City in 1963. Betty Ulrich was a librarian who helped establish the Freeman Memorial Library (now the Clear Lake City-County Freeman Branch Library) in the newly-constructed, planned community of Clear Lake City, Texas, by 1966.
Ulrich had a significant impact on the Clear Lake Area and Clear Lake City communities, participating in various educational and community projects regularly after retiring from Freeman Library in 1967. She was an avid family genealogist, who created extensive histories and collected original records from family members for her and her husband’s families. The collection consists of two primary focuses. First are original archival materials and compiled genealogical information regarding the branches of Betty and her husband Paul Ulrich’s families back into the 1800s, and detail their lives in Pennsylvania and New York. The second are original records and materials documenting the lives and professional careers of Betty and Paul Ulrich and their children. A significant portion of the collection focuses on Betty Ulrich’s professional and personal life from the 1930s through the 1980s
Properties of Neutrinos in Hot and Dense Medium
Full text linkWe revisit the electromagnetic properties of leptons in hot and dense media and compute them for the statistical conditions of the early universe and super dense systems such as supernovae and neutron stars. We re-calculate the electromagnetic properties of neutrinos, including their magnetic moment and charge radius. We also study the refractive energies for the relevant temperatures and densities. It has been noticed that the temperature dependence in the early universe appears as T^2/m^2 at sufficiently high temperatures, and as a function of ln (μ/m) at extremely large chemical potentials. A comparative study of the electromagnetic properties of neutrinos and leptons is performed quantitatively for relevant temperatures and densities in the early universe and in the cores of neutron stars
Parent and Evaluator Experiences Accessing Services for Children on the Autism Spectrum
Full text linkThe purpose of this study was to examine parent and special education evaluators’ experiences accessing services for children with ASD and gain insight into additionally needed services for children with ASD. This qualitative study interviewed four parents and five examiners about their experiences working with families of children with ASD. The researcher then analyzed the data by coding and categorizing to determine salient themes. The most prominent barriers across evaluators and parents were limited knowledge of ASD, service accessibility, and difficulties navigating the system. The findings are centered on the need to provide more extensive and individualized support for families, increasing and enhancing service availability for children diagnosed with ASD, and an intentional focus on meeting the unique needs of diverse families
Examining the Influence of Dispositions and Practices on Student Achievement of Elementary Principals in Title I Schools
No full textThis qualitative phenomenological study examined the influence of leadership dispositions and practices on student achievement in Title I schools. Because of the many duties principals are asked to undertake, it is often difficult for principals to assume the role of instructional leadership. The role of principal has expanded to engage an explicit focus on increasing student achievement through equitable outcomes (DeMatthews et al., 2020). Despite education reforms of the past few decades, more low income children tend to underachieve and drop out of school than do their middle- and high-income peers (Maxwell, 2016).
According to Mestry (2017), ineffective leaders are often unskilled and unprepared and are placed in or continue a cycle of having low-performing schools. Since Title I schools predominantly cater to poor students, often the harmful effect of poverty on the school climate is particularly more pronounced compared to the non-Title I schools (Roy, 2019). Educational leaders and staffs in Title I schools need to believe that they can make a difference in their students’ lives as well as make the students believe that they have the capability to become successful in school and life (Benson, 2003). Therefore, a gap may exist for principals to utilize distinct actions across multiple leadership domains to effectively manage the operations and promote high quality instruction that increases academic achievement in high poverty schools.
However, defining and clarifying the principal’s impact on campus performance continues to remain challenging (Hutton, 2019). A deeper understanding of poverty and the value of invested adults in student’s future success in life, can be a valuable resource in challenging communities to promote sustainable progress in closing the achievement gap
UHCL Library Annual Report - 2023-2024
Full text linkAnnual Report containing library updates, activities, and statistics for 2023-2024
Examining the impact of veteran-centric support on academic success, retention, and degree completion of students utilizing post-9/11 GI Bill at a public university
No full textDuring the post-war period, American higher education experiences exponential growth in veteran enrollment. As post-9/11 GI Bill is the most utilized VA education benefits, the U.S. Dept. of VA spends billions of dollars annually on the GI Bill. Yet, veterans’ retention and degree completions are much lower compared to other nontraditional students at public universities. This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of veteran students. A descriptive phenomenological approach used to understand the challenges and barriers veteran students encounter as they transition into academia and the impact of veteran-centric support services have on the students’ overall academic success, retention, and degree completion goals. A purposeful sample of eleven diverse veteran students participated in semi-structured interviews. The questions were guided by Schlossberg’s Transition Theory and the 4S Model found mixed perceptions of the veteran support offered on campus. All participants emphasized the importance of having veteran-centric support services on campus with more visibility and more resources, especially for graduate-level students. Data analysis found that 55% of participants perceived veteran support office to have a positive influence on their overall academic success, retention, and degree completion goals in terms of GI Bill process