1406 research outputs found
Sort by
An Exploration of Academic Librarian Positions Dedicated to Serving First Year College Students
Get PDFWithin library literature there are many articles that describe academic librarians\u27 experiences working with first-year college students, for example, teaching information literacy skills, assessing student learning, and serving as a personal librarian. While these positions have become common, there is not much formal research that compiles and investigates the professional responsibilities, campus partnerships, challenges, and successes of librarians in a first-year experience role. Interdepartmental collaboration is the primary focus of this exploration, as there are a multitude of campus stakeholders needed to ensure the overall success of first-year students. A survey of first-year librarians describes common themes and challenges across these positions, and can help librarians determine how to structure these jobs
Happiness in Relation to Altruistic Intentionality and Equity Theory
Get PDFWhen it comes to the pursuit of happiness, there are many different speculations and theories on how it may be obtained. Pop-culture places a high belief in the idea that happiness lies within the focus of oneself and of people’s individualized needs. Another commonly held idea states that happiness lies within spending hard earned money on material items. However, within psychology, countless studies have disproven this pop-culture belief and now there is evidence that demonstrates the negative relationship that materialism has on life satisfaction (Roberts, Tsang, & Manolis, 2015). On the other hand, research on prosocial spending is on the rise and an considerable amount proof of the positive affects related to prosocial behavior and its connection to happiness can be read about in the Journal of Positive Psychology. This thesis describes previous research and discusses a design for a study that can be executed in the future to explore conductors of happiness. The purpose of this study is to better the understand the mechanisms behind people’s motivations within prosocial behavior and the relationship between prosocial behavior and happiness. Current studies in happiness indicate that there is a strong association between happiness and prosocial behavior. However, current research lacks in explaining the differing mechanisms behind our motivations for such behavior. This thesis focuses on two distinct mechanisms for prosocial behavior, (1) altruistic intentionality, and (2) equity theory. Altruistic intentionality refers to one’s openness to be prosocial without expectation of reciprocation or recognition for the act. Prosocial behavior can be characterized as any act with the goal of benefitting another person, and may include everyday kindnesses (e.g., cooking dinner for a loved one), as well as larger efforts to improve the world (e.g., picking up litter). On the other hand, equity theory states that people are driven 4 by fairness, and their outputs in life are determined by their inputs received. Based on previous research, my hypothesis is that altruistic intentionality will lead to happiness
The Role of Music in Sports-Related Branding
Get PDFIn my thesis paper, I begin by discussing research on the general relationship between music and advertising, such as research on the history of music and advertising, the general effects of music on consumer behavior, and the general effects of music in advertising on consumer behavior. I then discuss research on the general relationship between sports marketing and music, such as research on the types and uses of sports marketing, specific factors that make for successful sports advertising, the general effects of music on sports performance, the general cultural associations between music and sports, and examples of successful sports-related commercials and ad campaigns. I then discuss an original study I ran that explores the role of music in sports-related branding. My research suggests that there is indeed an important role that music can play in sports-related branding. The results of my study showed that consumers tend to be affected by music in sports-related commercials, and that they tend to have preferences for music they hear in sports-related commercials. For instance, the results of my original study showed that respondents tend to feel more energized/excited from music included in sports-related commercials, and prefer such commercials to have faster music rather than slower music. In addition, respondents also preferred the music featured in such commercials to be by an artist that they already know rather than by one they do not know. Also, respondents tended to desire lyrics in the background music used in sports-related commercials that emphasize an individual’s achievement and/or freedom
The Efficacy of Mindfulness Based Interventions for Soldiers and Veterans
Get PDFThe psychological impacts of war can be devastating for soldiers and veterans. Even for those who have not seen combat, military service can be a stressful experience. Although posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been identified as the most common form of psychopathology in this population, military personnel are susceptible to a variety of other mental illnesses, including anxiety, depression, and substance use disorders (Prigerson, Maciejewski, & Rosenheck, 2002). Meta-analytic reviews demonstrate the efficacy of exposure-based interventions for soldiers and veterans with symptoms of posttraumatic stress (PTS), but results are inconclusive regarding the efficacy of other treatments for military servicemembers (Kitchiner, Roberts, Wilcox, & Bisson, 2012). Further, there appears to be a significant portion of soldiers and veterans with PTSD that does not respond to exposure-based treatments (Sher & Yehuda, 2011). Mindfulness-based interventions have shown to be effective in treating a breadth of psychopathology in civilian populations (Khoury et al., 2013). The purpose of the proposed study was to conduct a meta-analysis analyzing the efficacy of such interventions, specifically with soldiers and veterans. Three major literature databases, PsycINFO, Medline, and Cochrane were searched for randomized controlled studies that used mindfulness-based interventions with soldiers and veterans. It was hypothesized that mindfulness-based interventions would be shown to be efficacious for soldiers and veterans. Format and dosage of treatment, study quality, and diagnosis were coded and examined as potential moderator variables. General support was found for the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions with soldiers in terms of reduction of symptoms of PTS and depression and positive changes in various “other” outcome areas. Future meta-analyses on this topic would benefit from incorporating biological and physical health outcome data (which were excluded from the present study)
Why Worry About It? Clinicians’ Acceptance, Preference, and Use of Imaginal Exposure and Other Techniques to Treat Generalized Anxiety
Get PDFGeneralized anxiety disorder (GAD) is challenging to treat; only approximately 50% of patients have been identified as having meaningful anxiety symptom reduction, with high relapse rates (e.g., Borkovec et al., 2002; Rapgay, Bystritsky, Dafter, & Spearman, 2011). Imaginal exposure (IE) has been shown to decrease behavioral avoidance of emotions as well as anxiety symptoms (Fracalanza, Koerner, & Antony, 2014; Hoyer & Beesdo-Baum, 2012), yet clinicians often do not use exposure treatments due to their attitudes about evidence-based practice, treatment preferences, and beliefs about client discomfort (e.g., Harned, Dimeff, Woodcock, & Contreras, 2013; Meyer, Farrell, Kemp, Blakey, & Deacon, 2014; Whiteside, Deacon, Benito, & Stewart, 2016). This study sought to determine if there were differences in the types of CBT approaches that psychologists (N = 244) accept, prefer, and use to treat GAD in practice as well as to assess clinicians’ beliefs about IE. Participants read two case vignettes, one using IE and one using cognitive restructuring and relaxation training (CRRT), to treat a potential client with GAD. Results showed that participants found both treatments moderately acceptable, but were significantly more likely to prefer and use CRRT techniques. Psychologists who endorsed obtaining more exposure-specific training and receiving CBT-oriented post-doctoral training were significantly more likely to accept, prefer, and use IE than other psychologists. Those who reported attending a more CBT-oriented graduate program were more likely to use IE than those who attended a less CBT-oriented graduate program. More negative beliefs about IE were significantly positively correlated with preference and use of CRRT, although psychologists who obtained more exposure-specific training and attended CBT-oriented post-doctoral training endorsed fewer negative beliefs about IE. This study’s findings point to a need to educate clinicians about the benefits of IE for GAD
The Detection of Doping in Sport and the Role of Forensic Science
Get PDFThe detection of doping in sport is a vital component to creating a fair competitive environment for athletes. Educating athletes on the process of doping detection from start to finish may help them make better decisions when they are faced with doping, either intentionally or unintentionally. The doping detection process starts with the World Anti-Doping Agency and other Anti-Doping Organizations deciding what athletes should be tested and what they should be tested for, and ends with either a positive or negative doping test. Athletes’ knowledge on the doping detection process often ends when their sample is collected, unless they are accused of doping and face consequences of suspension or even being banned from the sport. However, athletes should be more knowledgeable on the testing procedures used once their samples are collected. Today, the most common tests used are gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, liquid-chromatography-mass spectrometry, and mass-spectrometry-mass spectrometry, among others. These techniques can be used to detect steroids, narcotics, stimulants, masking agents, contaminants of dietary supplements, and other substances on the WADA Prohibited List. Innocent athletes should be able to defend themselves if a test method gives a false-positive result, and understanding the accuracy of these test methods and how many different techniques there are should deter dishonest athletes from doping. Advancements are constantly being made to detect new substances and better detect substances that are commonly used. Informing athletes of the possible health risks and how certain drugs may even decrease their athletic performance should be deterrents as well. Educating the athletic community on the doping process from start to finish is the key to creating a doping free environment for competitive sports
Business Education vs. Millennials: The Reality of Now.
Get PDFEducation is fundamental in todays world and is in constant evolution just like everything else around us. What worked in the business world before cannot dictate what will work in the business world today and this could mean that it is time to re-build the basic blocks at a faster and more frequent pace. The business curriculum ought to be updated and improved to keep up with the revolution that the field is soon to face. This is because it affects various aspects of a student’s life while in the transition from academia to practice. Unifying themes in this thesis include but are not be restricted to the current educational structure for business students at college, the age at which a business professional can expect to earn a good position, age, gender, and generation gaps in business, the introduction of Millennials to the workforce and their expectations. The purpose of this research paper is to examine the value of a business degree, evaluate the business curriculum’s current sufficiency, and the returns it yields in the practical world to students and organizations in practice. This is done through a research study at LIU- POST: College of Management
Admissions Criteria That Best Predict Which Applicants Will Successfully Enter the Nursing Profession
Get PDFCurrently, the same criteria are being used for admissions into nursing programs in one school of nursing in the Northeastern United States. To date there are no statistically significant data to correlate these criteria with successfully entering the nursing profession. Due to the nursing shortage, limited number of seats available in nursing programs, low nurse retention, and high nursing school attrition rates, it is necessary to use an admissions process designed to select the candidates who are most likely to succeed on the NCLEX-RN, and enter into the nursing profession. A latent class analysis was used, and revealed that the ideal candidate was found to be an individual who is either an optimistic, full-time student, who earned a high ACT score, and had a career prior to enrolling into the nursing program, or was an optimistic, part-time student, who earned a low ACT score, and had a career prior to enrolling into the nursing program. A survey provided further insight and the responses indicated applicants who self-reported that they: have good judgment, seek out challenges, are capable of anything, are professional, are optimist, need to utilize what is learned, are ethical in nature, are able to recover quickly for failure, are motivated by intrinsic factors, are self-directed, complete what they start, have a sense of team-awareness, admit to mistakes, are resilient, have a sense of spiritual well-being, and possess leadership qualities, ultimately entered into the nursing profession
An Exploratory Study: Grounded in Racial and Ethnic Dimensions of Social Justice, Attitudes of Teachers in Elementary and Middle Schools Towards Culturally Sensitive Constructivist Teaching for African American Students
Get PDFBecause of the substantial gap between the performance of African American and European American students, there was a critical need to study and understand issues that may contribute to the amelioration of this achievement gap. Therefore, the aim of this study was to understand the cultural sensitivity of elementary and middle school teachers in the New York City Public Schools. This study attempted to uncover attitudes that teachers hold about teaching and learning for African American students, potentially helping to close the achievement gap. This study utilized an exploratory approach to investigate teachers’ attitudes toward culturally sensitive teaching for African-Americans. The research questions that guided this study were: 1) How do teachers perceive their preparedness for teaching African American students? 2) Do race and ethnicity play a role in the attitudes teachers hold about African American students? 3) How cognizant are teachers of issues that affect African American students? and 4) Are teachers addressing the needs of African American students with their curriculum and instruction? The findings from this study revealed whether teachers’ attitudes and beliefs were indicative of cultural sensitivity or indicative of cultural destructiveness for Black students
Data Driven Practices: A Phenomenographic Study of Teachers’ Perception of Formative Use of Summative Assessment in A Response to Intervention Model
Get PDFUsing qualitative phenomenography, this research highlights the perception of a sample of NYC teachers towards data driven practices, i.e., formative use of summative assessment in an RTI model. Eighteen elementary and middle school teachers participated in the study. From the analysis of the interviews, five categories of differences occurred, i.e., (a) teachers’ awareness of RTI; (b) teachers’ use of evidence-based assessment strategies; (c) teachers apply universal screening measures and progress monitoring; (d) teachers’ self-efficacy towards data driven intervention practices; and (e) support for and training about intervention practices. The results are depicted in an outcome space that describes the relationships among the categories in hierarchical order. Teachers do not seem to know that when various research-based interventions are administered, the results provide a systematic image of students’ performances that allow for a more student-centered classroom that meets the needs of all learners