1524 research outputs found
Sort by
TEACHER PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR PREPAREDNESS TO TEACH EARLY LITERACY SKILLS USING DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE PRACTICES IN UNIVERSAL PREKINDERGARTEN PROGRAMS
Get PDFEarly childhood education is a dynamic field, constantly evolving with the introduction of new curriculums, initiatives and programs. The classroom teacher is the constant, providing essential early literacy instruction amidst all of these changes. Universal Pre-Kindergarten is a vital program that provides access to quality early childhood education for New York City residents. According to the Office of Early Childhood Education, there were nearly 68,000 students enrolled in these free, full-day, high-quality programs in the 2018-2019 school year (2022). Universal Pre-Kindergarten is described as using Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) as the basis for its teachings. Educators are responsible for using DAP to teach early literacy skills to this large population of students. Past research on teacher preparedness and the effect it has on teacher performance has shown that a better-prepared teacher is a more effective teacher (Darling-Hammond et al., 2005). Research has shown a correlation between the self-efficacy beliefs of teachers and positive teaching behaviors, which in turn have been linked to improved student outcomes (Henson, 2001). This culmination of factors has made a deeper-investigation of a teacher’s feeling of preparedness an essential question that needs further exploration. This research sought to explore teachers\u27 beliefs around their preparedness to teach early literacy using Developmentally Appropriate Practice in a sequential explanatory mixed methods study, that utilized two types of data collection: the Teacher Belief Scale (Charlesworth et al., 1993) and focus groups. This study’s results will offer crucial guidance to the expanding field of early childhood education. With a focus on supporting confident and effective educators who can deliver developmentally appropriate literacy instruction in Universal Pre-Kindergarten programs. The findings suggest supports for early childhood educators teaching DAP such as pre-service teacher training, current teacher workshops, and teacher inter-visitation
FROM THE DECEPTIVE DELINQUENT TO THE ILLUSIVE ILLICIT ALIEN: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF 21ST CENTURY UNITED STATES BORDER SECURITY LAW ENFORCEMENT’S CAPABILITIES, COMPETENCIES, AND CAPACITIES DESIGNED TO COUNTER TRANSIENT CRIMINALITY RECRUITMENT
Get PDFThe transient criminal enterprise progressively evolved through expansion of illicit trafficking pathways throughout the 21st century. Scholars and practitioners share roles and responsibilities in missed opportunities to combat transient criminality. The Intelligence Community’s intelligence process is deficient in timely production and dissemination of their products. Starting with the transient criminality recruitment process, a correlated lack of psychosocial training programs dedicated to countering the transient crime threat exists. This study is rooted in sociological theory. It addresses Homeland Security dilemmas through the theoretical lens of sociology of security (Bajc, 2013) and is enhanced by concepts from Social Identity (Tajfel, 1979), Social Networking (Bajc, 2011), and Chaos (Hodges, 2015) theories. Collectively, these theories fill the literature gaps that exist in explaining the 5Ws of border security law enforcement’s (LE) preparedness to combat transient criminality. This research project incorporates a successive qualitative methodological framework. It selected 20 subject matter experts (SME) from the United States’ (US) border security sector. Border security academics, intelligencers, and LEOs were interviewed to confirm, enhance, and expose existing and new operational gaps that limit border security LE from effectively countering transient criminality. This study discovered that border security practitioners do not exuberate a collective level of confidence in their abilities to fight transient criminality. Their lack of transient crime related training combined with insufficient cohesion through communicating information and sharing intelligence with their border security networks led to lower than optimal confidence levels and reduction of transient criminal activity. Furthermore, this study found that the institutional framework for educating, training, and resourcing the US’ border security tactical forces aids the transient criminal enterprise in illicit profiteering and organizational expansion throughout the Americas. This project concludes with a comprehensive discussion about border security LE’s current posture to employ and deploy their “Triple Cs” (capabilities, competencies, and capacities) against transient criminal activities. It illuminates the needs for enriched agency collaboration efforts. Improvements to training program designs that focus on academics teaching social science concepts, theories, and tactics to border security LE are in demand to increase LE’s effectiveness in proactively identifying potential transient criminal recruits and recruitment centers of gravity
SAY “AH,” NOT “AHHH!” - PARENT INTERVENTION FOR THE REDUCTION OF DENTAL ANXIETY IN A CHILD WITH AUTISM
Get PDFThe overall oral health status of children with autism is significantly poorer as compared to children without autism primarily due to dental anxiety. High levels of anxiety often contribute to behavioral distress. These difficulties, coupled with deficits in communication and coping skills, result in challenging behaviors for children with autism during routine dental cleanings. Currently, there is limited research on effective treatment packages and procedures for managing dental anxiety in children with autism, and no studies have trained parents as intervention agents to treat dental anxiety in this population. In this single-case study, a parent training intervention was delivered to the mother of a child with autism to determine the effects of the intervention program on the child’s anxiety and cooperation. The mother was taught to implement evidence-based intervention practices including systematic desensitization, counterconditioning, in-vivo modeling, and positive reinforcement. She was also taught to implement choice-making, which has not been used to treat dental anxiety in youth with autism. Parent attitudes towards intervention procedures (social validity) was assessed. Results indicate that the mother’s confidence increased as well as her ability to implement treatment components. She endorsed that the intervention was feasible, acceptable, and effective. The child’s anxiety decreased and cooperation during the dental exam increased. The outcomes of this study contribute to the paucity of literature on behavioral/psychological procedures to treat fear during dental exams as well as to the nonexistent research on using parent-implemented interventions to decrease dental anxiety in youth with autism
DEVELOPMENT OF A REPEATABLE OVERNIGHT MEMORY TASK TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF NOCTURNAL SEIZURES ON MEMORY
Get PDFMemory impairment is a common comorbidity of epilepsy, particularly in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) for whom the hippocampus and surrounding memory-dependent regions are directly involved in seizure activity. Sleep is known to facilitate memory consolidation processes; however, whether, or the extent to which, nocturnal seizures disrupt memory processes in TLE is unknown. Investigating the effect of nocturnal seizures on memory requires a task designed to assess memory in the morning for material learned the evening before a period of sleep, ideally over multiple days. Accordingly, we have created a psychometrically sound, word paired-associates (WPA) memory task with five alternate forms to assess overnight memory longitudinally. We selected comparable stimuli for the WPA task versions and piloted this task in a group of healthy controls. We subsequently began standardizing the task with healthy adults ages 18-55. We determined the feasibility and utility of the task procedure by administering the WPA task over three days to people with epilepsy admitted to an inpatient Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU). Overall, we found that epilepsy patients performed poorer than healthy controls on the WPA task. We also examined the extent to which nocturnal seizures disrupted memory consolidation for these patients, and hypothesized that memory would be poorer in the morning following nights with nocturnal seizures compared to nights without seizures in a within-subjects design. Although a small sample size precluded statistical analysis, data trended towards poorer memory performance after nights with nocturnal seizures. Further development and standardization of this task will result in a public domain, multi-form, computerized memory task that can be used in epilepsy and other neurological disorders to assess overnight memory at multiple time points for clinical and research purposes
CLINICIANS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS USING COGNITIVE RESTRUCTURING WITH INDIVIDUALS AT THE END-OF-LIFE
Get PDFThis cross-sectional study involving 156 clinicians explores the influence of personal factors on psychotherapy interventions and clinicians’ decisions to engage with individuals at the end-of-life (EOL) in psychotherapy. Extending qualitative research on perceived barriers to applying CBT in cancer care, this quantitative investigation delves into death anxiety, attitudes toward Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and clinician distress tolerance in predicting the use, comfort, and confidence in applying cognitive restructuring (CR) with individuals at the EOL. Clinicians read a vignette of a terminally ill patient who is presenting as distressed and reporting several different irrational beliefs. Clinicians were then asked about their likelihood of using cognitive restructuring, comfort levels, and confidence in using these techniques with the hypothetical patient. Contrary to what was expected, death anxiety did not predict the use of cognitive restructuring at the EOL. However, death anxiety did negatively affect clinician comfort and self-efficacy using cognitive restructuring. Death anxiety also predicted clinicians’ likelihood of avoiding terminally ill patients seeking psychotherapy. Specialized experience with EOL patients predicted clinician comfort using cognitive restructuring but did not predict cognitive restructuring likelihood or confidence, highlighting the impact of exposure and practice on comfort while raising questions about practicing EOL clinicians’ preferred techniques and concerns about CR. Theoretical orientation (CBT) emerged as a predictor of cognitive restructuring outcomes. Older clinicians exhibited lower death anxiety and positive associations with cognitive restructuring outcomes. Clinicians reported concerns about using cognitive restructuring with EOL patients, including fears of committing empathic failures. The study emphasizes the need for nuanced training programs fostering the empathic application of cognitive restructuring and teaching diverse versions of this technique for those who want to build their skills and comfort in this domain. The author calls for further research on best practices in psychotherapy with EOL populations and advocates for developing core competencies in CBT and EOL care. Limitations included a focus on cognitive restructuring, a hypothetical clinical encounter, and potential sample bias. Practical implications underscore the potential for improved education and training to enhance the quality of EOL care and address existing gaps in clinicians’ understanding and application of psychotherapeutic techniques
DOES FOCUSED COMMITMENT CONSULTATION (FACC) INCREASE TEACHERS’ SELF-EFFICACY FOR WORKING WITH CHILDREN WITH EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL CHALLENGES?
Get PDFThe current study investigated if a pilot consultation method, Focused Acceptance Commitment Consultation (FACC), increased self-efficacy for teachers working with children with emotional and behavioral challenges. Four teachers from an alternative school in New Jersey participated in the study. The teachers\u27 ages ranged from 46 to 60 years old, with a gender distribution of three female teachers and one male. Weekly measures included the Classroom Management Observation Tool (CMOT), which was used to observe the teachers\u27 classroom management behaviors; the Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES), which measured teacher self-efficacy; and the Multidimensional Psychological Flexibility Inventory (MPFI) to measure teacher psychological flexibility and inflexibility. A concurrent multiple baseline design across participants was used. The study was done in four phases, starting with baseline, then four treatment sessions across multiple staggered start points, two check-in sessions, and a four-month follow-up. Traditional visual analysis examined each phase\u27s individual level and trend across the multiple staggered baselines. This visual analysis showed minor changes across phases and between variables to show a weak functional relationship between the participant\u27s level of self-efficacy, psychological flexibility, and CMOT skills. Quantitative analysis was also conducted with visual analysis in the form of Percentage of Non-Overlapping Data (PND) and Reliable Change Index (RCI). Results indicated that while all teachers increased classroom management behaviors during the intervention phase, only three out of the four teachers increased their self-efficacy and psychological flexibility. Follow-up data revealed that teacher self-efficacy and classroom management behaviors were unsustainable. Whereas two of the four teachers maintained psychological flexibility and inflexibility gains at follow-up
SYMBIOSIS UNDER STRESS: UNRAVELING THE INTERPLAY OF OCEAN ACIDIFICATION AND RISING TEMPERATURES ON ACROPORA SAMOENSIS (STAGHORN CORAL)
Get PDFThis experiment explores the response of marine organisms to the combined challenges of ocean acidification and rising temperatures, with a focus on coral reef ecosystems. As global climate change threatens profound declines in coral reefs, understanding the multifaceted impacts of these stressors becomes crucial. The study observes cellular changes in A. samoensis tissues in four different groups, including control, Temp, pH, and Temp and pH. Results indicate significant breakdown of membrane compartmentalization and cell junctions, with notable degradation and calcium carbonate crystallization in pH-stressed samples. Additionally, chlorophyll extraction data support coral bleaching due to the expulsion of zooxanthellae. These findings underscore the severe impact of pH and temperature variations on coral health, with pH conditions exhibiting a stronger effect. The study concludes by proposing a follow-up experiment involving the addition of carbon-fixing plants to mitigate environmental stressors and enhance coral resilience, aiming to contribute to the conservation of coral reef ecosystems in the face of climate change challenges
THE EXPLORATION OF FACULTY-STUDENT MENTORING FOR FIRST-GENERATION COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS
Get PDFRetention, persistence, and academic achievement for first-generation students have become increasingly prevalent with increasing access to higher education. Beyond access, the most discernible challenge relates to their identity as a first-generation college student and the lack of mentorship from their parents in navigating the college experience. While research promotes the positive impact of faculty-student mentoring programs for the success of the traditional student, more work is needed to analyze the effects on first-generation community college students. The purpose of the present study was to investigate if there was a relationship between faculty-student mentoring and student success, as defined by persistence, retention, and grade point average (GPA) for first-generation community college students. Utilizing secondary data collected from National Community College (NCC), a pseudonym for a public two-year institution in a major U.S. city, multiple analyses, including chi-squares and multiple regression, were conducted to explore first-generation student retention and academic achievement for participants in the faculty-student mentoring cohort program during the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 academic years, as compared to their first-generation peers who did not participate in the program. The results of the analyses show that a marginally statistically significant relationship existed between race/ethnicity, program participation, and persistence to graduation and/or transfer. Furthermore, there were statistically significant relationships between participation in the faculty-student mentoring program and one-year (fall to fall term) retention as well as cumulative GPA for first-generation community college students. Ultimately, the results indicate that faculty-student mentoring programs are an effective intervention that can be utilized to support the overall student success of first-generation community college students
DO RELATIONSHIPS MATTER? AN EXAMINATION OF THE EFFECTS OF TEACHER-STUDENT RELATIONSHIPS ON PERFORMANCE AND PROGRESS IN AN ALTERNATIVE HIGH SCHOOL
Get PDFThe role of the Teacher-Student Relationship (TSR) has been widely recognized in research for its implications on students’ motivation, achievement, well-being in school, behavior, and ultimately, progress toward completing school and graduating (Barile, 2012; Bergeron et all., 2011; Obsuth et al., 2017; Pianta et al., 2012; Rimm-Kaufman & sandilos, 2011; Uslu & Gizir, 2016). Therefore, the impact of TSR are all the more important for teachers of students who have been identified as ‘at-risk’ – having a higher susceptibility of not completing high school due to poor grades or deficient credits to graduate, truancy, disruptive behavior, pregnancy, or similar factors associated with temporary or permanent withdrawal from school. Investigating the role of Teacher-Student Relationships (TSR) in influencing academic performance and progress among students enrolled in alternative high school programs and exploring the factors that influence the quality of these relationships for at-risk students, this study offered a holistic understanding of the factors that shape educational experiences within four alternative high school programs. This study adopted an Explanatory Sequential Mixed-Methods design to gather comprehensive from two phases of data collection - quantitative and qualitative. The quantitative phase employed the Teacher-Student Relationship Scale survey to assess TSR perceptions among students and teachers. Subsequently, the qualitative phase involved semi-structured focus group interviews with students and teachers, and further explored perceptions through individual interviews of alternative high school program administrators. Findings reveal that positive TSR characterized by communication, empathy, and trust significantly impacts students\u27 academic performance, engagement, and socioemotional well-being. Conversely, strained relationships correlated with adverse outcomes such as decreased motivation and disengagement. These results underscore the critical importance of nurturing supportive Teacher-Student Relationships to mitigate dropout risks and promote student success. Do Relationships Matter? advocates for prioritizing TSR as a fundamental component of educational practices, with the potential to positively impact student performance and progress in alternative high school contexts