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Child Care Center Directors' Perceptions of their Efforts to Create Inclusive Environments in a Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS)
No full textUnder the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA, 2004a) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (1973), children with delays and disabilities have the right to access similar settings as their typically developing peers to receive care and education, which includes participating in community-based child care centers. A significant financial investment was made by the federal government through the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014 (CCDBG) to ensure that child care settings provide quality care, which triggered the implementation of quality rating and improvement systems in the majority of states (Quality Compendium, 2016). However, a setting deemed as high quality is not enough to ensure that effective instruction is provided adequately to meet the individual needs of children with disabilities in early childhood settings (Soukakou, Winton, West, Siders, & Rucker, 2014; Wolery, Pauca, Brashers, & Grant, 2000). This hermeneutic phenomenological study described the lived experiences of child care center directors as they engaged in providing quality care for children with disabilities in their settings by exploring (a) trends in quality improvement initiatives in early childhood education, (b) quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS) as an essential framework for quality improvement, and (c) inclusive practices in light of the implementation of these systems. Experiences of child care leaders as they engaged in providing care for children with delays and disabilities in an urban setting were explored with a focus on the following central question: How do child care center directors, participating in the quality rating and improvement system (QRIS), perceive inclusion? Participants were purposefully selected based on their responses to the continuous quality improvement plan (CQIP) and placed into two categories (a) responders to the inclusion indicator of the state's CQIP and (b) those who did not respond to the inclusion indicator of the CQIP. Data were collected through analysis of semi-structured interviews and coded in effort to find common themes in the experiences of the participants. The themes that emerged were: similarities related to perceptions of inclusive practices, differences related to perceptions of inclusive practices, perceptions of how QRIS supports inclusive practices, and recommended enhancements to QRIS that support inclusive practices. Recommendations were made for increasing inclusive practices by means of local and national QRIS implementation through the experiences of child care center directors who participated in this study.Ed.D., Educational Leadership and Management -- Drexel University, 201
Experimental investigation of nanosecond-pulsed dielectric barrier discharge in atmospheric pressure air and its application for direct liquefaction of natural gas
No full textExperimental investigation of nanosecond-pulsed dielectric barrier discharge in atmospheric pressure air and its application for direct liquefaction of natural gas Chong Liu Advisor: Dr. Danil Dobrynin Uniformity of high-pressure discharges, especially those ignited in air, has been a topic of interest for long time. Conventionally, as the applied electric field (voltage) increases, the breakdown mechanism changes from uniform Townsend discharge to non-uniform streamer discharge. The focus of this thesis is based on the hypothesis that with application of significant over-voltages, i.e., fast rising pulsed electric fields that allow production of electron density suitable for avalanche-streamer transition significantly before the discharge gap is bridged, may result in development of spatially uniform plasma. This study is devoted to testing this hypothesis and characterization of atmospheric air conventional DBD and DBD ignited under over-voltage conditions. The goals of this thesis are to understand the physics and chemistry of nanosecond pulsed DBD in atmospheric pressure gases, and especially atmospheric air, using experimental techniques, to qualitatively and quantitatively characterize the uniform operating regime of atmospheric pressure DBD, and to evaluate its potential applications. In this thesis, fast imaging of the discharge development on nanosecond time scales in atmospheric air was performed, and transition of DBD from streamer to uniform "overvoltage" mode was shown. A quantitative method was developed for analysis of the discharge uniformity. A nanosecond-pulsed dielectric barrier discharge ignited in atmospheric air was studied by optical emission spectroscopy to investigate the time and space-resolved development of the reduced electric field. The discharge temperature and chemistry were studied as well. The major results obtained in this work can be summarized as follows: • It is shown that the discharge operates in two distinctively different modes which appear as "uniform" and "non-uniform" regimes. Qualitative uniformity analysis of the discharge images is performed using chi-square test. • It is shown that measured maximum local electric field in the discharge is in a good agreement with these modes. We hypothesize that these results can be qualitatively explained by the absence of individual streamers in the uniform mode due to their overlapping and corresponding decrease of the maximum local electric field to the value of average electric field if the discharge. Due to a strong coupling between discharge physics, and reduced electric field in particular, and plasma chemistry (which in turn determines applications of plasmas), possibility of controlling discharge basic parameters together with its uniformity by simply changing applied voltage or distance between electrodes offers unique and exciting opportunities in a wide range of applications, from treatment of biological tissues to energy applications. The possibility of its application on direct liquefaction of natural gas is investigated as a potential application based on the findings.Ph.D., Electrical Engineering -- Drexel University, 201
The Use of Social Media by ABC and its Ability to Increase Linear Audiences
No full textTraditional television got a boost in 2014 when ABC launched its Thursday night primetime fall television block known as T.G.I.T. or Thank Gosh it’s Thursday. All three shows that aired were created by Shonda Rhimes. The night began at 8:00 with Greys Anatomy. Scandal followed at 9:00, and How to Get Away with Murder wrapped up the programming block at 10:00. The night heavily relied on twitter, in fact, T.G.I.T. is probably better known as #T.G.I.T., and the stars, producers, writers, etc. of the show live-tweeted during the episodes along with fans. With the emergence of new media like DVR, VOD, and streaming television, the need for appointment viewing has shifted and now hinges on where, what, and when viewers want to watch. This study will focus on the expression, "appointment tweeting", the act of tuning into Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. at a specific time during a live television broadcast. This is different than "Social TV" because it emphasizes the viewer's drive to get in front of the television for the live broadcast of show with the hope and promise of engaging in social media. Social TV on the other hand emphasizes the literal practice of engaging and interacting with others while watching a television broadcast (Walker, 2018). The study will explore if and then why viewers are more drawn to a live broadcast of a primetime television show if there is a social media presence that accompanies the broadcast. The research will focus on the twitter campaign launched by ABC and Shondaland, the production company founded by television writer and producer, Shonda Rhimes, to help promote their 2014/2015 Thursday block of ABC shows. It will explore who interacts with social media during the live broadcast of a television show and why.M.S., Television Management -- Drexel University, 201
When Old Becomes New Again: The Emergence of Classic TV Broadcasting
No full textThis thesis focuses on the reemergence of decades-old television broadcasts and the growth in popularity of those classic shows in the United States over recent years. The research will showcase early television with a comparison to current television broadcasts. Answers to questions as they relate to how programming has evolved and how audiences influenced the change(s) are addressed to set a foundation for the current interest in previously aired broadcasts. The term ‘reruns’ and a brief explanation of ‘residuals’ (paid/unpaid) will be included as well. The information presented in this research has been located in several areas. The obvious place to begin was to investigate documentation that pertained to the emergence of new broadcasting entities such as MeTV (2010) and The Decades Channel (2015) that showcase what is now coined as Classic TV. Archival footage along with that documentation was found through such resources as The Museum of Broadcast Communications and The Broadcast Pioneers of Television. Additional information was also gathered from interviews of the staff of those stations and organizations as well as from veteran broadcast personalities who have witnessed the transition from early television to the reemergence of classic shows. Contact and interviews were made in person, by email and by phone conversation. Other areas of interest for research were discovered in viewer analytics and sociology as they relate to the changing world of media (how it is perceived, positive/negative impacts, the public's need for entertainment). It has been noted that (Keilbach, 2013) most current viewers initially disregard previously aired television programming as old or not interesting. This research shows how people considered the age of a program, in years, along with something they have not yet been exposed to when making the decision to watch vintage shows. The benefit of this research to professionals in the television industry would be to uncover ways to change the current assumption of the viewing audience surrounding vintage programming to be more of a positive experience through exposing these audiences to diverse entertainment. It may also be proven that exposure to less complicated and lighthearted programming may invite families to gather together in front of their favorite show as once was the custom. A final benefit would be geared toward the audience itself. Simply watching previously aired programming that concern subjects that relate to history, prominent personalities, technological advances, and others would increase general historical knowledge for the viewer(s) with little effort. Some studies suggest that more of what is learned/studied can be retained for a longer amount of time if a sense of interest or enjoyment is present.M.S., Television Management -- Drexel University, 201
The Lone Unheard: African American Fathers' Experience Navigating the Special Education System: A Narrative Study
No full textResearch has consistently shown that parent involvement positively influences students' academic outcomes (Henderson & Mapp 2002). Interestingly, studies of parent involvement focus largely on the role of mothers. This is particularly true for studies of African American parent involvement, where participants are often cast as single mothers and fathers assumed to be absent. As a result, little is known about the experiences and engagement of fathers in the education of their children - and even less is known about African American fathers. This narrative study intends to add the voices of African American fathers to this incomplete scholarly record. Given the persistently disproportionate numbers of African American children in special education, this study examines the involvement of fathers in the education of their children with special needs - with attention to their participation in their children's individual education plan (IEP) meetings. Six African American fathers participated in two in-depth interviews. Analysis of the data revealed: 1) Participants' experiences present a counternarrative to the deleterious stereotype of the absent African American father; 2) Participants' experiences also offer a counternarrative to the dominant narrative of mothers as a proxy for "parent" in discussions of parent involvement; 3) Participants' initial reactions to learning about their children's diagnosis with autism corresponds with Kübler-Ross' Grief Cycle; 4) Participants' experiences present a counternarrative to the stereotype of the dysfunctional African American family; and 5) To varying degrees, the intersection of race and gender shaped participants' involvement in their children's schools. Findings from this study inform both practice and future research.Ed.D., Educational Leadership and Management -- Drexel University, 201
Experiences of Board Certified Behavior Analysts in Center-Based Autism Education: A Phenomenological Study
No full textAutism is increasing in prevalence across the world. As a result, the need for evidence-based treatment has become increasingly necessary. One such evidence-based treatment is Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), the science of learning and behavior. ABA is a highly structured discipline that requires extensive training and supervision from a master's or doctoral level Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA). While BCBAs are highly skilled in the principles and application of ABA, potential gaps in knowledge and understanding of special education practices, may impact their ability to plan, monitor, and modify student educational programming in academic settings. This has the potential to impact student performance and overall program effectiveness. The same gaps may exist for special educators in relation to effective clinical programming. A difference, however, may be found in access to professional development opportunities for these groups of professionals in a center-based setting for individuals with autism, where trainings in ABA are more regularly offered. Therefore, further investigation is needed to determine the extent to which BCBAs recognize existing gaps in their knowledge and understanding of best practices in special education, and how these gaps may impact their ability to execute high quality teaching and effective staff supervision. The purpose of this phenomenological study is to explore the lived experiences of BCBAs working at a center-based program for student with autism who have limited knowledge and understanding of special education instructional practices and work in supervisory and leadership positions.Ed.D., Educational Leadership and Management -- Drexel University, 201
Between Lines: A Critical Multimodal Discourse Analysis of Black Aesthetics in a Vocal Music Therapy Group for Chronic Pain
No full textThe purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of Black clients’ experiences within a music therapy context by exploring the discursive construction of aesthetics demonstrated by Black members of a vocal music therapy (VMT) group for chronic pain. For this purpose, the theoretical framework of critical race theories and Africana womanism guided this study, and a critical multimodal discourse analysis was employed as the primary methodological tool. Three primary research questions guided this study: What were the aesthetic experiences of the Black members of the VMT chronic pain group? What was the role of black lifeworlds (musical representations and cultural representations) in Black clients’ aesthetics experiences? What was the function of Black client aesthetics in the VMT group experience? Secondary data of another research study, namely video data obtained in a clinical trial on the effect of vocal music therapy (VMT) on core outcomes in chronic pain management, served as the primary data source for this analysis. The video data documented an eight-week group VMT treatment program, in which six Black individuals with chronic pain, five females and one male, and one white female participated in vocal music therapy techniques such as toning, group singing, vocal improvisation often accompanied with percussion instruments, song reflection, and deep breathing to address core outcomes of chronic pain. These sessions were facilitated by the white music therapist and principal investigator of the clinical trial and assisted by me, her Black research assistant. This analysis evidenced Black clients’ agency-driven aesthetic exploration of Black language and Black musical representations within a music therapy context. In so doing, the VMT group context is revealed as a racially patterned social activity marked by performances of alterity mobilized through Black participants’ aestheticization of personhood. The analysis detailed the social realities co-constructed by the Black participants vis-à-vis non-monolithic experiences of Black language and Black vernacular music as processed through cultural memory and the inherently subordinate nature of therapy. This was demonstrated in four aesthetic formations: (a) (pre)embodied pain aesthetics, evidenced by participants' portrayals of agency within the intersection of socio-historical, socio-structural, and socio-cultural systems of chronic pain and healthcare disparity discourse; (b) Black language aesthetics, revealed in mono- and cross-racial verbal and prosodic communication; (c) healing aesthetics, delineated by participants' spiritual negotiations within a model of medical music therapy; and (d) musicking aesthetics, detailed by the use and situated meaning of Black musical gestures referentially used within music therapy theory and praxis. These findings detailed Black verbal and musical iconicity, client face-saving practices, individual and collective responses to microaggressions and their impact on the therapeutic process exhibited verbally and nonverbally, in-group tensions, the protective function of spiritual coping, paraxial tensions between medical and culturally centered healing practices, and aesthetic relevance of ethnocentricity within the VMT program. The findings of this analysis detailed the sensorial, relational, imaginal, and political nature of aesthetic discourse and served as the first systematic exploration of aesthetic processes of Black participants in the field of music therapy. Furthermore, this research discussed the widely understudied experience of chronic pain by Black participants, as both physical and psychological phenomena. In so doing, it provided a synthesis of Black client narratives that further contribute to the growing knowledge of culturally responsive clinical practice within music therapy and related healthcare disciplines, as well as the collective discourse of Black bodies within cultural aesthetics, semiotic anthropology, and Africana studies. Given the nature of the findings, implications for future research, clinical practice, and music therapy cultural competence development are provided.Ph.D., Creative Arts in Therapy -- Drexel University, 201
Metadata for the International Health Workforce: Professional Regulation, Credentialing, and Health Policy Planning
No full textPurpose: National health regulatory authorities ensure access to adequate health care by verifying the credentials of health professionals and monitoring of the volume and distribution of the health workforce. This work is made more complex by the growing international mobility of health professionals and is dependent upon timely and accurate data describing professionals in detail; however, there is no accepted standard for exchanging these data. This dissertation takes steps to address this need by identifying the specific data needs of the medical regulatory community and assessing the degree to which existing standards meet the community’s information needs. The overall goal is to identify the unique data needs of regulators while encouraging future interoperability of data describing health professionals. Design and Methods: This study employs a mixed-methods approach combining a document analysis of application forms from 20 international regulatory agencies, a survey of medical regulators, and crosswalk matrices mapping agencies’ required information items together and comparing those items to existing schemas. Multiple methods of data collection from international sources provide a more complete picture of the information needs of the medical regulatory community. The final crosswalk mapping of required elements to three existing metadata schemas was used to assess whether certain topic areas or specific metadata elements are adequately addressed by current standards. Findings: An analysis of 20 international agencies’ documents yielded 1498 application items that could be mapped to 204 distinct metadata elements required by regulators to describe health professionals in support of licensure decisions. An examination of three existing schemas representing agents and their qualifications – the Europass schema, the HR Open Standard, and the MedBiquitous Professional Profile Standard – and creation of a crosswalk matrix mapping their elements to those required by regulatory agencies showed none contained more than half of the metadata elements required. Excluding elements imprecisely matched, the most comprehensive schema addressed only 30.9% of the elements required. Practical Implications: There are many required elements that cannot be represented in existing schemas. In particular, crucial data describing any potentially negative aspects of an individual’s profile, such as disciplinary actions taken against the professional or malpractice payments they have made, are partially or wholly unsupported by any of the schemas examined. Full support of the regulatory community’s information needs would require the addition of certain elements or element sets to existing schemas. Value: This study provides valuable guidance to regulatory agencies in furtherance of an international data standard for their community. Additionally, this work establishes a practical methodology for contextual data standards evaluation based on document analysis.Ph.D., Information Studies -- Drexel University, 201
One-pot Near-ambient Condition AI-RAFT for Star Polymer Synthesis
No full textA near-ambient and oxygen tolerant arm-first star polymer synthesis strategy was developed using alkylborane-initiated reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (AI-RAFT). An air stable alkylborane-amine complex was chemically deblocked with isocyanate functionalities in-situ to liberate a reactive alkylborane that consumes oxygen to generate radicals to drive the RAFT processes. The AI-RAFT system was optimized for oxygen and initiator concentration as well as reaction time to improve livingness and further improve star conversion. Crosslinking agents were injected at the conclusion of arm polymerizations to yield star polymers, which were evaluated by arm-conversion values, arm numbers, and dispersities. To assess the tunability of star morphology, systematic studies were performed to evaluate the influence of monomer concentration, crosslinker functionality, crosslinker concentration, and the degree of polymerization of the arms. Our experimentation revealed that the functionality of the crosslinker had little effect on conversion of arms to stars, but that the ratio of the alkene to the CTA caused significant changes in arm conversion and arm numbers. Last, the star polymers produced by AI-RAFT were converted into poly(acrylic acid) stars and evaluated for use as polyelectrolyte complexes.M.S., Materials Science and Engineering -- Drexel University, 201
Examination of the Relationships Among Perceived Social Support, Parent-Infant Bonding, and Parent Mental Health in the 3 to 12 Months Following the Birth of a Child
No full textInfant development is subject to great influence from one’s immediate social environment and caregivers. Therefore, the health of the parent-infant relationship and substantial parent-child interactions are crucial for maximizing exploration and learning opportunities for the child. Previous studies have showed that greater satisfaction with social support may be associated with more positive mental health (Dennis & Letourneau, 2007; Heh et al., 2004). Additionally, research has found that poor parental mental health symptoms relate to poor parent-baby interaction (Parfitt, Pike, and Ayers, 2013). Notably, Lutz et al. (2012) observed an interaction effect of informational social support on maternal-child interactions for mothers with high levels of stress. Thus, evidence suggests reason to investigate an association between social support and parent-infant bonding. The current study extended extant literature as it attempted to distinguish a direct association between satisfaction with social support and parent-infant bonding. It evaluated relationship satisfaction, which may play a crucial role in the mental health of parents (Dudley et al., 2001) and the parent-child relationship (Erel & Burman, 1995). Previous studies primarily assess heterosexual mothers, making this research unique in that fathers and individuals who are members of a non-heterosexual couple were eligible for participation. It was hypothesized that: 1) a direct relationship exists between satisfaction with social support and parent-infant bonding, 2) parent mental health mediates the relationship between satisfaction with social support and parent-infant bonding, and 3) parental perceptions of infant temperament are associated with parental mental health and parent-infant bonding. (Full hypotheses detailed in manuscript.) The current study had a cross-sectional, self-report design. The measures included in this study assessed parent-infant bonding, satisfaction with social support, anxiety and depressive symptoms, parental stress, relationship satisfaction, and infant temperament. The relationship between parent-infant bonding and satisfaction with social support was analyzed. Anxiety, depression, and parental stress were examined as potential mediators. Parents of 3 to 12-month-old infants with a current romantic partner, all in cohabitation, were eligible to complete the survey administered on Amazon Turk Prime with compensation provided. Hypotheses were analyzed using a series of correlations and mediation analyses. Findings from the current study indicate that a parent’s satisfaction with the overall social support positively associated with a quality parental-infant bond. Partner social support may play an even bigger role in the promotion of the parent-infant bonding. The relationship between social support and parent-infant bonding was partially mediated by decreased symptoms of anxiety, depression, and parental stress. Additionally, other factors may explain this relationship, and should be examined moving forward (e.g., financial resources or attachment style of parents). Infant temperament and a parent’s confidence in reading their infant’s cues strongly associated with decreased anxiety, depression, and parental stress symptoms, as well as with parent-infant bonding. Future analyses should incorporate parental perception of infant temperament when investigating postpartum parents’ mental health and interactions with their child. The quality of the parental bond to one’s infant varied significantly by caregiver; mothers reported higher quality parent-infant bonding on average compared with other caregivers. On the other hand, other caregivers rated their satisfaction with social support from their partner, family, and friends higher on average compared to mothers. These findings show many opportunities for interventions to promote parent-child relationships while in the perinatal period.M.S., Psychology -- Drexel University, 201