3543 research outputs found
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Self-Confidence Levels in Sequential Learning Versus Structured Discovery Cane Travel, Post Orientation and Mobility Instruction: A Comparison Study
No full textSequential Learning (SL), the medical model of Orientation and Mobility (O&M)was designed for blinded WWII veterans in the 1940s. This preeminent curriculum monopolized the O&M profession, creating a paradigm paralysis, until Structured Discovery Cane Travel (SDCT) made its official debut in 1997. The conceptual framework for this study is Glasser\u27s choice theory (1998) whereby ideas or systems of belief direct or oversee behavior, and this principle holds true for both O&M professionals and individuals who are blind or visually impaired (consumers). A comparison study answered the research question; that is, at what distance and frequency do consumers travel independently post-instruction and how does this differ between the two curriculums? Data was collected through a quantitative study in which 40 participants (20 SL, 20 SDCT) voluntarily responded to an electronic survey. Because of their increased frequency and distances traveled and their decreased need for additional training, study results revealed SDCT consumers’ self-confidence is higher than SL consumers by 32%. In addition, this study discovered when sighted guide instruction commences prior to introduction of the long, white cane (as in the SL curriculum); self-confidence is hindered and leads consumers toward the Custodial Paradigm. However, when instruction of the long, white cane and problem-solving is paramount (as in the SDCT curriculum); the foundation for ongoing successful O&M post-instruction is likely whereby consumers are lead toward the Independence Paradigm
Police Medical Field-Screening Proposal Plan
No full textThis proposal document examines the collaboration between the Bend Police Department, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Jail, and St. Charles Medical Center Emergency Department and takes into consideration the professional opinions of all stakeholders who currently serve the community of Central Oregon in a variety of different capacities. The Bend Police Department (Bend PD) would like to see a solution that would benefit the citizens served by the department, while supporting the department’s core values of teamwork, integrity, and excellence. Bend PD is concerned about officer efficiency because it is critical for the department to strive to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars. The desired solution must involve a collaborative effort with community stakeholders, build trust and rapport within the community, and go beyond the department’s role of protecting and serving the citizens of Bend (Bend Police Department Strategic Plan, 2015). The goal of this project is to propose a solution that will address the inefficient and excessive transportation of arrested individuals that occurs between the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Jail (DCSO) and St. Charles Medical Center Emergency Department (SCMC ED). This proposal document will identify and address five potential solutions and will recommend the best solution and provide next steps for effective implementation
The Professional Development and Coaching of School Teachers: Real-Time Feedback
No full textTeachers face many problems which directly impact student achievement. Some of these problems include lack of resources, high teacher attrition, and an overwhelming ratio of below grade level students. This study examines in-the-moment feedback as a form of professional development and coaching. The study seeks to understand if teachers deem this form of coaching and development as beneficial and high leverage in regard to positively affecting student achievement. Exploratory case study was used as the research design for this study. The population of this study was school teachers in urban school settings. The sample population entailed 11 school teachers currently working at an urban charter school district. An inductive analysis approach was employed using the nine steps of inductive analysis as identified and described by Hatch (2002). The findings revealed that, according to teachers, real-time feedback may positively impact student achievement when considering ten key tenets as outlined in this paper. Implications of this study suggest that real-time coaching and feedback—when received and implemented effectively—can and should be used to improve teachers’ instructional practices and have a positive impact on student outcomes. It is also implied that a shift in practice by teachers and leaders away from traditional coaching and feedback, to real-time coaching, could improve possibly improve teacher practices and student outcomes noticeably faster
Knight Light: Body G
No full textIn this memoir, tragedy hits Alena Dao’s family one Easter morning. She changes her last name, moves to California, travels the world, and does all she can to bury the darkness of her past. Her grief, however, seeps into her present when she is assaulted years later on her college campus. Through police report documents, interviews, and family relationships, Alena struggles to solve the crimes that destroyed her family
Firefighters’ Perception of Leadership Behaviors on Their Psychological Well-being: A Case Study
No full textThe psychological well-being of firefighters is an important aspect of fire service, along with the increased awareness of the psychological effects of fire service on firefighters. This study is necessary due to the lack of research exploring how firefighters perceive such influence on their psychological well-being. Understanding leadership’s influence on their psychological well-being is important, since a low level of well-being can lead to depression, anxiety, and suicides. This qualitative, exploratory, case study explores how firefighters in Florida perceive the influence of leader behaviors on their psychological well-being. Data was gathered through a qualitative questionnaire, semi-structured interviews and the Ryff Scales of Psychological Well-Being questionnaire. The results revealed that firefighters are influenced by leadership behaviors. The firefighters who participated in this research perceived positive leadership behaviors to have a positive effect on their psychological well-being, while negative leadership behaviors had a negative effect on the same. This research suggests that the incorporation of emotional intelligence screening as part of the promotional process may be beneficial, along with enhanced training in to strengthen positive leadership attributes
Explicit Self-Care for Principals and Their Teachers: A Qualitative Transcendental Phenomenological Study on Administrator Stress Levels
No full textPrincipals and their teachers experience stress levels to such a degree that student achievement can be negatively impacted. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological qualitative study was threefold: to explore and better understand principals’ first-hand and lived experiences of on-the-job stress and their practices of self-care to negate that stress, understand if principals find it important to model the practice of self-care to their teachers to reduce stress levels, and understand principals’ awareness of their emotional intelligence and how they use that to support not only themselves but their staff. Three research questions were developed, and semistructured interviews were conducted with 14 California principals. Triangulation of data was met with the semistructured interviews, an online survey, and observational field notes. Through data analysis, 10 themes emerged that help to answer the research questions. This study shows that principals experience high levels of stress, and while they try to self-care and reduce consequences, they are not always successful. Teachers also experience high levels of stress, and principals are very aware of this but do not always have the time, resources, or knowledge to support modeling of self-care. Emotional intelligence skills are used by principals but not with complete self-awareness that this is what they are doing. This study revealed data that can provide a better understanding of principal and teacher stress and the implications on any given school campus
Interconnectedness: The Lived Experiences of Six Middle School Employees During the First Two Years of Restorative Practices Implementation
No full textRestorative practices are being used throughout the world as a response to problem behaviors in schools in an effort to stop the use of ineffective and disproportionately-applied exclusionary discipline methods. Research has been primarily quantitative in nature; thus, the purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the lived experiences of six middle school staff members during the first two years of school-based restorative practices implementation. The restorative justice theoretical framework was used to ground this phenomenological study. This framework encompasses the origins of restorative justice, affect theory, and reintegrative shame theory (Braithwaite, 1989a; Tomkins, 2008; Tomkins & Karon, 1962; Tomkins & McCarter, 1964). Husserl’s transcendental phenomenological approach was used to create information-rich descriptions that capture the essence of study participants lived experiences. Using Husserl’s approach to phenomenological research, Castillo-Montoya’s (2016) Moustakas-based (1994) Interview Refinement Protocol was employed to develop the questions for the two-tiered interview format used in this study. An adapted version of Yüksel and Yildirim’s (2015) step-by-step data analysis framework was used to develop the essence of the collected data surrounding the participants’ lived experiences of school-based restorative practices implementation. The five core themes that emerged from study participants’ lived experiences were the role of the “why,” the impact on school culture and climate, daily applications of restorative approaches, cultivating a sense of belonging and emotional safety, and critical factors for restorative practices implementation
From the Clean Power Plan to the Affordable Clean Energy Rule: How Regulated Entities Adapt to Regulatory Change and Uncertainty
No full textRegulated entities often struggle to adapt to regulatory change and uncertainty. This is particularly true in the power and utilities sectors, where the scope and scale of project-level planning and management is broad, and changes to these processes can be highly disruptive. Regulatory disruption notwithstanding, some companies adapt to regulatory change and uncertainty better than others. Presently, there is a gap in understanding what these regulatory adaptation best practices might be for the power and utilities sectors.
When the federal Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) publicly proposed the Clean Power Plan (“CPP”) in 2014, stakeholders in the power and utilities sectors were forced to reckon with the possibility that the CPP would prompt profound changes in the regulatory landscape. As of writing, however, the EPA has since proposed to repeal the CPP and replace it with the Affordable Clean Energy (“ACE”) rule, a decision that significantly relaxes regulatory obligations for power companies. The ACE rule will be challenged in federal court, and its future remains in doubt.
This case study will focus on the CPP as a means of investigating the best practices and ongoing challenges of adapting to regulatory uncertainty. The study will provide an in-depth analysis of the approach taken by three companies whose projects and/or financial investments would be implicated by the CPP. The three companies have been interviewed by the Author, and have developed unique and potentially transformative approaches to regulatory uncertainty, while at the same time offering cautionary tales and lessons learned
Understanding the Role of Substitute Teachers
No full textSubstitute teachers play a major role in assisting students in the absence of regular teachers. However, there is limited evidence regarding the role of substitute teachers in K-12 faculties. The main purpose of the study was to examine the lived experiences and perceptions of substitute teachers regarding their roles in K-12 faculties in rural and urban Pennsylvania school districts, and their involvement in the education system. The current study employed a phenomenological enquiry approach to explore the roles of substitute teachers in public schools in Pennsylvania. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect qualitative data on the lived experiences and perceptions of 10 substitute teachers on their roles in K-12 faculties in rural and urban Pennsylvania school districts. The collected data was analyzed qualitatively using NVivo 12 software to construct emerging themes. Seven primary themes were derived from the qualitative analysis: Motivation in substitute teaching is informed by extrinsic and intrinsic factors, substitute teacher’s role in student learning, key challenges that substitute teachers encounter, interaction with school members and staff, substitute teachers’ attitudes and feelings, substitute recommendations, and causes of shortages of substitute teachers. The findings have a potential to influence policymaking in the education sector in Pennsylvania and guide the planning for long-term needs of substitute teachers
A Study of Teacher Attrition in Rural, North Central, Alabama
No full textWhy do some teachers choose to leave the profession within the first five years of service? Focusing on one group of 25 former teachers and a second group of 25 current teachers in the rural, North Central, Alabama, area, the researcher studied how the nationally known reasons for teacher attrition found in the literature review applied to this population. The study was based on a quantitative method, using a causal-comparative design, and the survey design data collection method. The researcher’s conceptual framework utilized the theories of social practice, transformational leadership, and self-efficacy. The study found teachers left because of student discipline problems, dissatisfaction with administrators and school resources. Teachers also left for jobs closer to home or to care for families. Some of the teachers left to make a career change. The study also found teacher education programs needed to improve by providing candidates with training on how to work with students of diverse backgrounds, how to manage poor student behaviors and how to communicate effectively with parents. The study found teachers needed the administration’s help with collaboration, mentoring, discipline, school safety, and compensation