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A Summer Reading Program And Its Impact On Summer Reading Loss
Get PDF113 pagesThe Problem: This study was designed to evaluate a summer reading program to determine if it had impact on preventing summer reading loss for students entering second grade.
Procedure: The methodological approach for this proposed study was a descriptive study using Basic Reading Inventory (BRI) test score data and percentages to compare spring and fall test results. Results from the fall BRI testing for reading fluency rate, accuracy, and comprehension were measured for those students who attended the 2009 and 2010 summer school sessions and for those students who did not attend. In addition, fluency rate, accuracy, and comprehension for gender, ethnicity, and economic status were examined. At the conclusion of first grade, all students attending a Title I elementary school in the Ottumwa School District took the spring BRI for first grade. This data provided the baseline data for the study. The same group of students took the spring BRI for first grade when they entered second grade in September for comparison. Four hundred twenty-eight students were tested during the two year study identifying 280 as eligible. There were 124 eligible students who participated in summer school and 156 eligible students who did not participate in summer school.
Findings: The results of the study support the district summer school initiative and belief that by shortening the summer break and providing skilled reading instruction, summer reading regression can be minimized. The percent of participating students who increased or maintained fluency rate, accuracy, and comprehension ranged from 70%-77% compared to 46%-67% for non-participating students. The data analysis of all participating students showed minimal differences of success in maintaining or increasing reading skills between gender, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. However, the study did find discrepancy in maintaining or increasing fluency rate success between Caucasian and non-Caucasian students, following the summer reading intervention. Eighty percent of Caucasian students maintained or increased fluency rates as compared to 59% of non-Caucasian students
Experiences Of High-Achieving High School Students Who Have Taken Multiple Concurrent Advanced Placement Courses
Get PDF254 leavesProblem: An increasing number of high-achieving American high school students are enrolling in multiple Advanced Placement (AP) courses. As a result, high schools face a growing need to understand the impact of taking multiple AP courses concurrently on the social-emotional lives of high-achieving students.
Procedures: This phenomenological study (Moustakas, 1994) explored the lived experiences of 24 high school graduates who took four or more AP courses during at least one academic year. A single overarching question guided this study: How did taking four or more AP courses during an academic year impact a high school student's life? Using purposeful convenience sampling and snowball sampling (Creswell, 2007; Bogdan & Biklen, 2007), data were collected from participants through interviews, detailed field notes, written reflections, follow-up focus groups, and reflexive journaling. Data analysis involved initial coding, recoding, and pruning to derive the essences of the lived experiences. Data were verified through triangulation, thick description, field notes and observations, reflexive journaling, and member checking. Written findings reflect the phenomenological tradition of narrative description to capture participants' lived experiences.
Findings: Data analysis revealed themes that capture the essence of participants' lived experiences while taking four or more AP courses: (a) motivations, (b) stress, (c) extracurricular activities, (d) sacrifices attributed to course load, (e) family, friends, and like-minded classmates, (f) coping strategies, (g) balance, and (h) successes and regrets. The participants' stories reflected the situational uniqueness of each AP student.
Conclusions: Parental support, teacher support, ethnicity as well as friendships and social connections shaped participants' experiences. The power of social media also became evident as participants communicated with the researcher and each other throughout this study. High-achieving students who pursue rigorous AP coursework can benefit from the lived experiences and perceptions of former students.
Recommendations: High schools should provide more resources to high-achieving students who take rigorous AP course loads. Students may benefit ongoing mental health assessments to determine stress levels and coping abilities. Schools might offer seminars and workshops for students, parents, and school personnel in the demands of AP coursework, study skills, time management strategies, stress reduction techniques, healthy habits, and local resources. Schools should also facilitate connections among AP students, both current and former. School personnel may wish to ensure the fidelity of AP curriculum in providing challenging learning experiences rather than more work
Expression of sFLT-1 and JMJD6 in Cultured Human Trophoblasts
No full textMentor: Ronald TorryPlacenta Growth Factor (PlGF) plays an important role in the formation and growth of the placenta.
This protein binds two receptors, a membrane bound Flt-1 (mFlt-1) and a soluble Flt-1 (sFlt-1), the
latter of which lacks intracellular signaling. These receptors are splice variants of each other and differ
in their intracellular region. Although we have shown that hypoxia increases the expression of sFlt
-1 in trophoblast, the mechanism for this is not known. Silencing Jumoji domain-containing protein 6
(Jmjd6) expression in endothelial cells increases soluble Flt-1 expression and hypoxia lowers the expression
of Jmjd6 in endothelial cells. However, it is not known if Jmjd6 is found in trophoblasts or if
it functions in determining the splicing of Flt-1 in these cells. This study sought to optimize an assay
to assess Jmjd6 expression in trophoblast, how its expression is affected by hypoxia, and how this
correlates to sFlt-1 expression. Trophoblast were isolated from three different normal placentae and
cultured for 24 hours under two conditions: normoxia (21% oxygen) and hypoxia (1-2% oxygen). The
RNA was harvested, reversed transcribed into cDNA and sFlt-1/Jmjd6 expression was analyzed in
duplicate using real-time PCR. The fold changes in sFlt-1 between the normoxic and hypoxic groups
were 1.98, 0.75, and 0.88, for the samples. We optimized the PCR of Jmjd6 by changing annealing
temperature and concentrations of primers and cDNA. The fold changes in Jmjd6 are still being determined.
In conclusion we determined Jmjd6 is expressed in trophoblast but its influence on sFlt-1 expression
is unknown.
32Drake University, College of Pharmacy & Health Science
HeinOnline and Law Review Citation Patterns
Get PDFKaren L. Wallace is a professor of librarianship and Circulation/Reference Library in the Opperman Law Library at Drake University. She can be contacted at [email protected] authors tested the proposition that the ubiquity of HeinOnline in law libraries would alter law review citation patterns. Has HeinOnline’s provision of the full runs of law reviews in full text led to more citations to older materials? This article reports the results of the study they undertook to test this theory
The Eighth Annual Drake University Conference on Undergraduate Research in the Sciences (DUCURS)
No full text48 pagesDrake University, College of Arts & Sciences; College of Pharmacy & Health Science
Sock Material And Warm-Up Effects On Foot Temperature During Treadmill Runing
No full textMentor: David S. SenchinaManufacturers market a variety of athletic socks to runners with varying claims of comfort and ergogenic
properties. This study (approved by Drake IRB ID 2009-10088) investigated how foot temperature
during running was modulated by different socks. Additionally, the influence of a short
warm-up period prior to data collection was investigated. Sixteen male subjects (21.3 ± 1.4 yrs) completed
four 10-minute running trials at self-selected but constant speeds in four different socks: cotton,
synthetic, a cotton/synthetic blend, and a combination of the blend sock plus a calf compression
sleeve. Eight subjects performed a 5-minute warm-up at approximately 75% of their trial treadmill
speed and eight did not warm up whatsoever. Foot temperature was recorded for the 10 minutes during
running and 5 minutes immediately after. Heart rate and subjective ratings of perceived comfort
and heat were recorded throughout. There were no significant differences in foot temperature across
socks during or after running. Subjects perceived their feet as being warmer in the cotton and blend
socks compared to the synthetic sock or the blend sock plus the sleeve. There were no differences in
comfort perception across trials. Expectedly, there was a trial order effect for subjects who didn’t warm up such that foot temperature was higher in later trials compared to earlier trials. These results
suggest that (a) socks of differing materials may transfer heat similarly, (b) wearing a calf compression
sleeve influences perceptions of foot temperature, and (c) subjects perceptions of foot temperature may
not coincide with actual temperature.Drake University, College of Arts & Sciences; College of Business & Public Administration; College of Education; College of Pharmacy & Health Science
Targeted Social Skills Instruction For Secondary Students With Emotional/Behavior Disorders
Get PDF98 leavesThe purpose of this pre-experimental study was to determine the impact of targeted social
skills instruction for 30 secondary students with Emotional/Behavior Disorders. Students
participated in six weeks of social skills instruction, four days per week for 40-45 minutes per
session. The Social Skills Improvement System rating scale was used pre and posttest to
determine student outcomes in the Social Skills subdomain areas of Communication,
Cooperation, Assertion, Responsibility, Empathy, and Self-Control. In addition the study also
looked at the Problem Behavior subdomain areas of Externalizing, Bullying,
Hyperactivity/Inattention, and Internalizing. Results across the group did not show significant
levels of improvement in any of the subdomain areas. However, there were significant results
when the groups were broken down into various smaller subgroups. Limitations, implications for
practice, and implications for future research are also offered
Characterization of Proteins Involved in DNA Damage Repair
No full textMentor: Dr. Pramod B. MahajanDrake Universit
Re-imagining Shakespeare - Merchant of Venice (program 3)
No full textThis exhibition represents the cross-discipline collaboration of more than sixty of Drake's students. After studying several of the Bard's plays, students in Sarah Hogan's Reading Shakespeare courses (ENG 058) worked in small groups to direct and perform scenes from "The Merchant of Venice", "Hamlet", and "Twelfth Night". They then collectively drafted a series of short essays on their imagined full-length productions. These modern adaptations, explained in the collaboratively-authored programs, ranged from a "Hamlet" set in the impoverished town of Denmark, South Carolina, to a "Twelfth Night" that explores the gender politics of corporate America. Students in the Graphic Design Two courses (ART 116) taught by Hilary Williams then worked in pairs to create theater posters and program covers that drew on these materials for inspiration and interpretation. All along the way, students have shared ideas, debated visions, and re-imagined Shakespeare.William Shakespeare was no stranger to collaboration. More than a few of his plays were co-authored with fellow dramatists or adapted by others in the process of publication, while performances of his works have always depended on the efforts of actors, investors, and even audiences. Indeed, in his time, Shakespeare was part of a commercial company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, and later, the King's Men. Bringing his works to both light and life has therefore always required the imaginative labor of many.Drake University English Department, Professor Sarah Hogan, and Drake University Graphic Design Department, Professor Hilary Williams. Funding provided by Drake University Women's Studies. Exhibit hosted by Drake University, Cowles Library
Green Chemistry: Microwave Synthesis of 1-Butyl-3-Methylimidazolium Halide (Bromide and Iodide) Ionic Liquids and its Use as Medium in the Diels-Alder Reaction
No full textMentor: Gholam A. MirafzalThe effectiveness of the substitution of room temperature ionic liquids for traditional aromatic solvents
in the Diels-Alder Reaction was investigated. Two 1-Butyl-3-Methylimidazolium Halide
(Bromide and Iodide) ionic liquids were synthesized in the microwave and were then used as solvents/catalysts for the Diels-Alder reaction between maleic anhydride and 1,3-cyclohexadiene. The product
of this Diels-Alder reaction was analyzed via gas chromatography, whose results confirmed that the
ionic liquids successfully catalyzed the Diels-Alder reaction at room temperature. Furthermore, the
recyclability of the ionic liquids was investigated, and from the analysis of GC spectra from repeated
Diels-Alder reaction products, it was determined that the ionic liquids can be reused as solvents multiple
time with miniscule changes in percent conversion.Drake University, College of Arts & Science