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Benefits and Risk Associated With Physical Exercise During the Antenatal Period
Get PDFBackground/Purpose: There are many misconceptions, uncertainties, and false narratives pertaining to how much physical activity and what types of activities are safe in pregnancy. This purpose of this critical literature review was to provide more guidance on evidence-based recommendations for what activity and how much activity is considered safe, and shed light on the proven benefits being physically active provides. Additionally, the literature was reviewed to assess the benefits of exercise during pregnancy as it pertains to maternal morbidity. Theoretical Framework: Dorothea Orem’s Theory on Self-Care Deficit explains the importance of self-care, and focuses on the individual’s ability to perform self-care. Exercise during pregnancy can be viewed as a practice or type of self-care. It is also a known way to improve health and to maintain life and wellbeing. This theory guides our understanding of how a person’s knowledge of potential health problems is needed for promoting self-care behaviors. Methods: 20 scholarly articles were appraised in this review to identify the many health benefits of exercising while pregnant. Results/Findings: The applicable findings of this critical review demonstrate that exercise during pregnancy improves the overall health-related quality of life and should be recommended for all eligible pregnant women (Montoya Arizabaleta et al., 2010). Pregnancy is a wonderful time to initiate new routines and healthy behaviors because pregnant women are highly motivated during this season of life. Implications for Research Practice: Nurse-midwives are in a wonderful position to educate and counsel women on the many health benefits that exercising while pregnant has to offer. Pregnant women should be given evidenced-based information in regards to their health to assist them in their decision making process. Nurse-midwives should help patients develop an exercise routine that is safe and sustainable. They also have the responsibility to be aware of lifestyle choices that can reduce harm, and positively impact pregnancy. Keywords: Exercise in pregnancy, routine exercise, prevention, morbidity, gestational diabetes, preterm labor, low birth weight, premature rupture of membranes, and cervical insufficiency
Effects of social media on adolescents
Get PDFSocial media has a strong influence on adolescents. The effects of social media use can be both positive and negative for adolescents. Social media makes adolescents feel more connected to their friends, family, and interests. On the other hand, it creates an unhealthy reliance by some adolescents which can cause problems with addiction, communication, mental health, and schooling. Addiction to technology and cell phones in particular is a negative pertaining to adolescents. Negative effects occur when adolescents are overly dependent and unfocused due to the use of social media while at school. Studies show that communication skills can be harmed due to addiction to devices and social media. Studies on adolescent mental health show that depression and loneliness are an effect of social media abuse. Awareness is needed by parents and caregivers regarding adolescents and technology issues. The education system needs to be prepared and aware of how this topic is influencing adolescents and the future of education
The Journey of Mindfulness Into Western Classrooms and Its Impact on Education
Get PDFEverything has a story, a point of origin, a list of defining features that make it into what it is. Yet the larger and more ubiquitous something gets, the harder it can be to define. The saturation of educational related mindfulness publications, resources, and research has made mindfulness into a modern educational phenomenon. The scale of this phenomenon begins far before its western transition and includes forces throughout history and around the globe. In an attempt to truly understand the story of mindfulness many layers need to be peeled back. Layers that have made it increasingly difficult to discern what mindfulness truly is. At some point external forces can alter something beyond its original form and into a newly created entity. This new entity holds the story of its past as it forges its own future. As an educational tool, mindfulness practices have proven not only to be popular, but also useful in tackling a great variety of complex issues in education. However, before putting these tools into practice, educational settings should consider the story and implications of these tools. Therein, being poised to better integrate mindfulness they may find of use. This master\u27s thesis explores the origin, journey, applications and continued evolution of mindfulness as it became prominent in the educational framework of the west; encouraging practitioners to both thoughtfully engage with, and hold lightly the implications of its story
Investigating and Increasing the Efficiency and Effectiveness of the Children’s Ministry at Victory Church of Melbourne, Florida
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the children’s ministry at Victory Church of Melbourne, Florida, a growing multicultural and multigenerational church. Conversations with the children’s ministry team, parents, child participants, and the senior pastor of Victory indicated that changes needed to be implemented in order to grow the ministry. This project used a case study methodology, focusing on a church with similar demographics as Victory, to discover the underlying factors needed to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of Victory’s children’s ministry. To test the working theory that an increase in resources, team leadership, and parental involvement leads to increased effectiveness and efficiency, surveys were sent to three children’s ministry leaders from the case study church. Interviews were then conducted to follow up on survey responses. The resulting quantitative and qualitative data was analyzed using the Qualtrics platform. The findings suggest that there are five components needed to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the children’s ministry at Victory Church: a vision/philosophy of children’s ministry based on the great commission; adequate resources/funding for the children’s ministry; key staff leadership; parental involvement; and strategic planning and the development of organizational systems
Breastfeeding Education and Support for Marginalized Women to Increase Exclusive Breastfeeding Rates
Get PDFBackground/Purpose: Marginalized women have significantly lower rates of breastfeeding initiation and duration and also experience significant health disparities when compared to non-marginalized populations. Breastfeeding has positive health benefits to both mother and child and could help to reduce these disparities. The purpose of this critical appraisal of the literature was to determine the effects of additional breastfeeding education and support on breastfeeding among marginalized groups of women. Theoretical Framework: Ramona Mercer’s Maternal Role Attainment Theory was used as a framework for the literature review by following the four stages of attainment; anticipatory, formal, informal, and personal. Methods: Twenty relevant, scholarly articles were chosen and critically analyzed using the Johns Hopkins Research Evidence Appraisal Tool. Following the critical analysis, a literature synthesis was completed. Results/Findings: Four themes emerged emphasizing breastfeeding education methods and impact of that education for marginalized women. Seven studies showed that breastfeeding education and support increased initiation rates but had insignificant effects on breastfeeding duration and exclusivity, six studies compared breastfeeding initiation and duration rates for women receiving group prenatal education and support, seven studies showed breastfeeding education increased efficacy and intention to breastfeed, and lastly five studies showed limited prenatal breastfeeding education had no statistical significance for breastfeeding initiation or duration. Implications for Research and Practice: Studies show that prenatal breastfeeding education and support increases breastfeeding initiation. Midwives who work with marginalized women should utilize this research to provide culturally sensitive support interventions to encourage women to exclusively breastfeed for an extended duration of time. These providers should also work to develop policies; guide research; and identify opportunities, gaps, and solutions to increase breastfeeding outcomes and impact health for marginalized women and their infants. They should also improve their understanding of the social determinants of health to provide quality breastfeeding care to women, including those from underserved populations, which is one of the Hallmarks of Midwifery (ACNM, 2020). Midwives’ close relationship with patients and breadth of knowledge can be influential in all aspects of women’s maternity care
Manuscript for Aesthetic/Design Guidelines for Campus Master Planning Bethel University
No full textThis document is the manuscript version before graphic design and copyediting. Follow this link to see the final version.
The situation that inspired and drove these aesthetic guidelines for campus master planning were unique to the history Bethel University and Seminary. By the early 1960s, Bethel was outgrowing its site on Snelling Avenue in St. Paul. The opportunity to purchase 160 acres in Arden Hills arose and the leap of faith was taken to buy this land and relocate. But it was not that simple. More was involved than mere practical problems of too-little space solved by an abundance of new space. The new space was so radically different than the old space that far more than just “planning and expansion” was involved. A re-envisioning of the physical expression of “Bethel”—its meaning, mission and shaping of a community— was involved. The purchase of a large and basically “raw” wooded site called for a thoughtful and deliberate understanding of what the experience of students should be in their education at Bethel. The old campus was an urban environment, where “nature” was fully domesticated, the land was flattened, the flora was pruned, mown and bordered by cement sidewalks and asphalt streets. This urban setting by structured on the grid of city planning, and surrounded by vehicular traffic, noise, and the lovely but densely packed neighborhood of houses that is Falcon Heights, Minnesota. In radical contrast, the new site in Arden Hills was a different world altogether. Nature was unfettered. There was no grid and the land was not bull-dozed flat. The site was rolling hills, heavily wooded, and contained a lake and a flowing stream. The freedom to dream and design, to create an entirely new kind of campus was wide open. But what should it look like? How should a community “belong” here? Nothing less than a new conception of “Bethel” vis-à-vis the expressive freedom for architecture, for integration into nature, and for the student experience was needed. The “art of a campus’’ could now be designed to mesh with the spirit of education, the theology that had long informed what “Bethel” meant, and the community of students, faculty, staff and administration that work together. A new incarnation of “Bethel” was possible.
Then president Carl Lundquist understood this and appointed Eugene Johnson to craft a set of aesthetic design guidelines for the development of this campus. What Gene crafted became the “founding ideas” for how natural space, architectural space/function and landscape architecture could collaborate to express Bethel’s mission and give persons a lived experience by way of place that embodied the meaning of their education. This promised a fullness—or better, an embodied—experience of education that is inherently implied in the richness of the full liberal arts plus in-depth majors offered with a spiritual integration of faith
The Lived Experiences of Students with High Functioning Autism in Higher Education
No full textA growing number of students with high functioning autism (HFA) are entering higher education; this number is expected to grow as the prevalence of autism continues to rise. Students with HFA face many challenges when entering higher education. These challenges produce an environment that impedes student success and potential degree completion. This study explored the lived experiences of 17 participants with HFA who were enrolled in private colleges and universities in a metropolitan area of the Midwest. Although disability services offices are mandated to provide accommodations to students with disabilities, some of the challenges faced by participants were not supported by the services provided at their institution. Social and communication challenges were common areas not fully covered through accommodations, which precluded many participants from requesting assistance from instructors when having difficulty in class. Many participants also indicated discomfort with meeting people in college and challenges establishing friendships. The prevalence of mental health disorders arose as a salient theme, with most participants experiencing significant anxiety, at times impeding some students’ ability to attend class and succeed academically. Many research opportunities exist to ascertain the best support systems needed to assist students with HFA in navigating higher education with ease. Students with HFA attending college or university need to grow, not only academically, but also by learning social and communication skills that will be instrumental in their future lives as more independent adults.https://spark.bethel.edu/edd-showcase-2021/1000/thumbnail.jp
Dr. Michelle Steffenhagen
No full textPurpose and Autonomous Functioning in Emerging Adultshttps://spark.bethel.edu/edd-show-images-2021/1003/thumbnail.jp
Illuminating the Fog: A Research-Based Perspective on Why and How to Teach Shakespearean Texts
No full textThis literature review seeks to reveal identifiable trends that indicate effective methods for achieving learning targets through the use of Shakespearean texts. Thirty studies concerning the use of these texts in the classroom context were reviewed and the methods were classified into three categories based on the Common Core English/Language Arts Reading Anchor Standards: Key Ideas and Details, Craft and Structure, and Integration of Knowledge and Ideas. The results indicated that activities involving performance-based pedagogy should be implemented when learning targets concern literary analysis. Activities involving close reading should be implemented when learning targets concern linguistic analysis. This project also highlights the need for more rigorous data collection for the purposes of bolstering the educational literature and instructional application
The Impact of Visual Literacy in Secondary Science Education
No full textVisual literacy, or the ability to make sense of and produce images, is an essential but long underrated skill in science. Career scientists and engineers decode and encode information in pictorial form using visual literacy skills regularly. This research will explore first the purpose of science education in the United States and how its reforms have been influenced by career scientists. It will explore if visual literacy skills are aligned with these purposes. This research will then investigate the benefits of incorporating visual literacy in science education to this end. Finally, this research will outline research-based instructional strategies for integrating visual literacy education alongside the science content and practices emphasized in the current standards