Athena Commons - Digital Repository of Mississippi University for Women
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The Impact of Using Best Practices to Improve English Language Arts Standardized Test Scores in Rural Central Mississippi Schools
Full text linkIn recent years, the Mississippi Department of Education has made several changes in curriculum and policy to improve students’ literacy rates on standardized test scores. As a result of these changes, teachers have been offered more professional development training to educate them on best literacy practices to implement in the classroom. This study aims to identify best practices that teachers use in third-grade classrooms to improve students’ standardized test scores on the Third Grade Mississippi Academic Assessment Program (MAAP) for English Language Arts (ELA). Upon obtaining Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, the student researcher obtained approval from administrators to conduct research in the Lowndes County School District. The student researcher compiled Third Grade MAAP ELA test scores data over three consecutive academic years (2016-2017, 2017-2018, and 2018-2019), surveyed those third-grade teachers on best practices used for ELA instruction, and compared the teacher survey results and test scores to determine what correlation exists, if any, to improve standardized ELA test scores
Video Submission - La’Porsha Storey
No full textLa’Porsha Storey, MUW Student, reads from The Outsiders by S.E. Hinto
Sexual Knowledge and Wellness of College Students
Full text linkAbstract: The purpose of this research project is to conduct further research on the use of a questionnaire developed by the fall 2022 FSC 330 class to assess sexual health knowledge of W students. I plan to study their use as a potential educational tool to provide sexual health knowledge to W students in addition to assessing their sexual health knowledge. The revised survey consists of topics that cover: contraceptives, women’s/ men’s sexual health and anatomy, gender/ sexual orientation, sexual coercion, STI’s, and lastly love/ communication. The survey we are currently making will have three different versions that are: feedback on incorrectly answered questions, feedback on correctly/ incorrectly answered questions, and no feedback. This is to test if feedback will improve test scores. To start the experiment, I will give the participants access to versions where feedback is given. Three weeks after the surveys are finished, I will release the final version with no feedback to evaluate the knowledge of the explanations that were given. The hypothesis is those given the most information will perform better on a post- test of sexual health knowledge. Through the survey that FSC 330 produced, we found that W students knew more than the typical American. Students performed best on the sexual coercion subscale and showed poorest performance on the gender and sexual orientation subscale. The mean score of these participants was a 67%, which is passing, however it indicates that the W students still have much to learn about sex, and healthy sex habits
Effects of Primary Competitiveness on the Emergence and Success of Female Candidates in U.S. House Primary Elections with No Incumbent
Full text linkImplementation of a Tobacco Cessation Clinical Intervention Program
Full text linkTobacco use and the detrimental effects of tobacco use is a leading public health crisis worldwide. There is not a harmless tobacco product on the market, but cigarette smoking has the highest rates of morbidity and mortality being one of the leading causes of preventable death, disease, and disability in the United States accounting for 480,000 deaths per year and over $300 billion in healthcare expenditure and productivity losses per year (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021). Comprehensive tobacco control efforts are essential to addressing this public health crisis. Literature reviewed identified that most healthcare providers assess patients for tobacco use but do not facilitate cessation guidance thereafter despite the knowledge of the detrimental health effects. There is strong evidence from prior literature outlining the importance of identifying tobacco users and facilitating tobacco cessation. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) quality improvement project was to evaluate if implementation of a tobacco cessation clinical intervention program within a primary care clinic would improve overall smoking cessation rates among adult patients who smoke. A systematic, clinic-wide approach was developed with educational sessions for providers that utilized the 5 A’s framework during project implementation. Descriptive and inferential statistics were utilized to compare patient’s initial and subsequent cessation visits to determine the success of cessation efforts. Data collected included intervention protocol information for 77 patients with initial visits and follow-up appointment data for 32 patients. Of the patients who attended their follow-up appointment, 9.4% had quit smoking, 53.1% had cut back, and 37.5% reported no change in their smoking status. Overall, 62.5% of those who participated in the clinical intervention program quit or cut back on smoking. The 8 9.4% of patients who had reportedly quit smoking during the implementation program is higher than the CDC 2018 report outlining that only 7.5% of adult smokers successfully quit smoking in the last year. Significant correlations existed between follow-up status and all other variables including gender, insurance, readiness to quit, counseling potential barriers, and prescription medications. Despite the small sample size and implementation time constraints, the findings suggest that when tobacco use is addressed through systematic implementation of a cessation program then positive outcomes are achievable. This project supports the need for continued education, awareness, and implementation of similar programs that systematically address tobacco use in all healthcare settings to improve quality of care and continue to address the public health crisis of tobacco use
Investigating Historical Psychological Instruments on Campus: Mirror Tracing Apparatus
Full text linkIn the holdings of the Department of Psychology and Family Science at Mississippi University for Women there are about 15 psychological machines and instruments. I have been investigating these machines and instruments as part of a research project on the history of the department and psychological measurement because current faculty are unsure what most of them are. I utilized several resources to identify each instrument and its purpose (e.g., psychology museum archives and YouTube). One interesting find was the equipment for the Mirror-Tracing Task. This apparatus has been used in research on hand-eye coordination and motor skills. The next step is to determine how these machines can be used in classes today to help students learn more about psychology
Healthcare Providers’ Knowledge and Implementation of Pneumococcal Vaccination Recommendations
Full text linkStreptococcal pneumoniae is a vaccine preventable disease but remains a leading cause of disease and death in the United States. In 2016, Streptococcal pneumoniae was responsible for 1.2 million deaths in over 195 countries. The illness is attributed to patients having invasive diseases, comorbid diseases, disability and death. The number of adults contracting Streptococcal pneumonia could be lowered dramatically with the use of proper vaccination, which is readily available. In 2022, the Center for Disease Control and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) release a new timing schedule and guidelines regarding the vaccination for pneumonia in the adult population. These guidelines included the latest approved pneumonia vaccination, Prevnar 20, which is the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine 20. This study primarily focused on provider knowledge and implementation of the latest guidelines in their respective clinical settings. The review of literature was limited due to the recent release of the ACIP guidelines for pneumococcal vaccination. However, the literature revealed pneumonia as a leading cause of death among adults and the safety and efficacy of the latest vaccination for pneumonia, Prevnar 20. A sample of 57 healthcare providers in clinical settings across Mississippi completed the 18-question questionnaire to determine knowledge and implementation. Results indicated that participants were not knowledgeable o the guidelines with a mean score of 4.54 and a score of 6 considered knowledgeable, but participants did recommend or offer pneumonia vaccines
Female College Students’ Knowledge of Hormonal Contraception Options and the Associated Risks and Side Effects
Full text linkAccording to Holtzman et al. (2019), 10% of female college students drop out of school due to an unplanned pregnancy. Due to this statistic, it has led many female college students to seek hormonal contraception for pregnancy prevention. Many female college students do not use any form of hormonal contraceptive due to cost or lack of insurance, misconceptions, or access to contraceptive options. Lack of knowledge on hormonal contraceptive options and their associated risks, side effects, and even benefits, may continue to cause a rise in unplanned pregnancies and college dropout rates. Therefore, ensuring that female college students are knowledgeable of their options and of the associated risks and side effects, it will further empower females to make informed decisions. The researchers in this study utilized a descriptive, quantitative, non-experimental design to assess female college students’ knowledge of hormonal contraceptives and their associated risks and side effects by developing an online survey, through Qualtrics, sent to female college students’ email addresses. The verbiage used in the survey was simplified and terms were defined. A convenience sample of 426 participants was obtained from various colleges and universities in the southeastern United States. Findings revealed that 56.6% participants were aware of all the different types of hormonal contraceptives that are available. Findings also revealed that for each knowledge-based question many participants chose the correct answer choice. This study revealed primary care providers are educating college students on their options, risks, and side effects; however, knowledge can continue to be spread and shared to female college students to increase patient informed decisions and decrease college dropout rates due to unplanned pregnancies
Video Submission - Joshua Humbers
No full textJoshua Humbers, MUW Student, reads from The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexi
What makes a good product?
No full textMy research for the summer of 2022 was on product design. As a graphic designer product design has always interested me but I was only aware of the technical aspect of it. Through the research I immersed myself in the process of product design from beginning to end. My goal for the entirety of the research was to design a real product and to explore the importance of functionality and aesthetics. The early stages of the project was all research as I read The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman and An Industrial Design Guide by Carmen Andrisani and Neville Songwe. Next, I rendered a design based on what I learned. Afterwards, I started construction on the product which perhaps taught me more on product design than the preliminary research. Finally, I focused on presentation and graphic design. My entire process is to be presented on a poster that summarizes my research and will inform the viewer on what makes a good product