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Reimagining the Leader Behind the Badge: A Qualitative Study Examining Perceptions of Law Enforcement Leadership From the Perspective of Law Enforcement Officers
No full textThis study explores the influence of leadership practices within law enforcement on the professional journey, job performance, and personal well-being of a career officer with over 30 years in the field. Set against a backdrop of evolving societal expectations and public scrutiny, the research investigates how entrenched leadership practices impact both individual experiences and the broader organizational culture within law enforcement. Key themes include outdated hierarchical practices, declining public trust, and resistance to innovation. These themes are examined using the new professionalism model, which emphasizes transparency, accountability, legitimacy, and innovation as essential leadership principles in modern policing (Bass & Avolio, 1993; Stone & Travis, 2011). This model serves as a framework for analyzing the ways in which leadership practices within law enforcement align or conflict with contemporary expectations and community needs, addressing a gap in the literature regarding how these practices affect both public relations and officer well-being (Griffin & Sun, 2018; Lockie et al., 2022; Mummolo, 2018)
Seeking Sustainable Tutoring Programs: A Case for Supplemental Instruction for the Success of Middle School Students at the SJ Davis campus in San Antonio, Texas
No full textSeeking Sustainable Tutoring Programs: A Case for Supplemental Instruction for the Success of Middle School Students at the SJ Davis Campus in San Antonio, Texas
Charles Andrew Mazuca
University of the Incarnate Word, 2025
ABSTRACT
The purpose of the study was to implement a pilot tutoring program on the campus of a public middle school in San Antonio, Texas, that supports improved math performance of under-performing students on the state mandated standardized test known as the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) exam; broadly speaking, the study posed the question “How might a school community create a sustainable service program model that improves the STAAR test scores for middle school students in high need communities?” This action research contributes to sustainable social change by demonstrating the public value of a collaborative, multi-actor tutoring program.
Action research methodology provided me the opportunity for data generation through direct participation in active settings, in-person observations, meetings, workshops, phone calls and emails, directed at three levels of examination: the general methodological application of a tutoring program and its assessment, data collection, and verification techniques. My methodology consisted of two types of activities: action research activities (e.g., design workshops, reflective sessions, tutoring) from the tutoring program itself and interviews with a principal, teachers, organizational administrators, elected officials, and community members.
The study findings showed that all participants expanded and elevated their performance into a worldview of collaboration, sharing of resources, and work efforts that disrupted the traditional allocation of resources and interrupted the fragmented tapestry of misapplied funding and talent that often leads to underperforming educational outcomes and sometimes failure. My action research process supported what I call the Targeted Resources and Enhancement Theory; meaning that tutoring emerges as the shared value of the stakeholders enhance one another’s work contributions and is sustained by the themes of Aspiring, Tutoring, Assessing, Sharing, and Recognizing. The theoretical recipe explains that tutoring programs require the understanding of resource allocation and its determinants; the intentional, instructional, and reinforcing strength of teaching; alternate means of resource procurement; sustaining the public’s confidence of teachers/tutors; decisions based on an organization’s principles and values and finally that public value is the very idea that should guide educational policy processes.
In conclusion, the discovery of my main themes of sharing, recognizing, aspiring, assessing and tutoring serve as the foundation of a sustainable tutoring program and the power of personal life story telling, through vignettes, opens the channels for educators to develop practical network and resource building that inspires one another to elevate their work contributions and exceed status quo expectations. Finally, my efforts in connecting both human and financial resources for the execution of a service that supports young students in need, is not a specific job task in city government or in the public school system; therefore, it is a service gap. I came across five people who saw the need to fill the same service gap that I saw, and they put effort toward the creation and execution of the tutoring program; those persons were the Councilman, the middle school principal, and three core teachers. These collaborators looked to me to connect the dots in both funding and program development while the teachers were performing the actual tutoring, all efforts as part of a sustainable tutoring project
An Uncharacteristic Case Presentation of Functional Vision Disorder
Full text linkBackground: Functional Vision Disorder (FVD), also commonly referred to as functional vision loss (FVL) or non-organic vision loss (NOVL), is defined as a visual acuity (VA) loss and/or visual field (VF) loss, without any identifiable ocular or cortical pathology. Many clinicians look at FVD as a diagnosis of exclusion and while it is imperative to rule out organic pathology, FVD diagnosis must be supported by clinical findings that prove normal visual function. Incorporating supplementary tests specific for demonstrating the integrity of the visual system and the non-organic nature of the symptoms will allow clinicians to be more confident when diagnosing FVD.
Case Report: A 59-year-old white female presented to West Haven Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) Clinic complaining of an acute isolated episode of vision loss OU lasting 30 minutes and associated with symptoms of numbness in her right upper and lower extremities. The patient had a pertinent medical history which included hypertension, hyperlipidemia, depression, borderline personality disorder, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and multiple traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Social history revealed past substance abuse with remission for several years. Pertinent ocular history was notable for a longstanding repeatable monocular right hemianopic VF defect OD due to FVD which recently resolved spontaneously. At the present examination, a new right homonymous hemianopsia OU was confirmed with VF testing. Imaging and laboratory studies were ordered to rule out causative neurological disease and were found to be within normal limits. A thorough review of the patient’s history, clinical examination findings, ancillary testing results, as well as a comprehensive interdisciplinary management with neurology, neuro-ophthalmology, and psychiatry lead to the diagnosis of a reoccurrence of FVD.
Conclusion: It is crucial not to dismiss a new neurological finding in the setting of a previously diagnosed FVD. Concurrent organic disease with FVD is common and thus warrants considerable caution on the part of the eye care provider. Distinguishing between organic and nonorganic visual complaints has important clinical implications for the patient. FVD commonly occurs in situations of psychological conflict. Timely diagnosis and appropriate referrals to manage this conflict will improve prognosis and prevent unnecessary work ups as well as help alleviate the patient’s anxiety. Co-management with a psychiatrist and neuro-ophthalmologist is often essential for diagnosis and management. This case review demonstrates an atypical presentation of FVD in which complete resolution of the VF loss was followed by an acute re-occurrence of FVD but manifesting with a different VF pattern. Emphasis will be placed on the history, clinical observation, and testing techniques utilized to aid in diagnosis of FVD as well as highlight the appropriate referral and management
Book Review: Neuro-Visual Processing Rehabilitation: An Interdisciplinary Approach
Full text linkBook revie
Cryopreserved Amniotic Membrane for Corneal Epithelial Abrasions: Case Series
No full textBackground: Corneal abrasions are one of the most frequent ocular conditions encountered in the emergency department and can lead to significant morbidity and visual impairment. Amniotic membrane has inherent anti-inflammatory and anti-scarring properties that help accelerate epithelialization and help prevent the complications known to be associated with corneal injuries. Herein we assessed the time till complete epithelialization after in-office application of cryopreserved amniotic membrane in cases of traumatic corneal abrasions in the acute setting.
Case Reports: A total of ten eyes (5 right eye; 5 left eye) of ten consecutive patients (8 Male; 2 Female; average age 40.9 ± 17.8 years) were included with initial complaints of ocular pain (n=5), blurred vision (n=9), photophobia (n=3), and tearing (n=5). All patients presented with corneal abrasions were observed by slit-lamp with fluorescein staining. Self-retained, cryopreserved amniotic membrane was placed for an average 1.9 ± 0.7 days. Complete corneal epithelialization was noted in 2 (20%) eyes at 1 day, 5 (50%) eyes at 2 days, 2 (20%) eyes at 3 days, and 1 (10%) eye at 7 days without any residual corneal scarring or haze. One eye of a patient had residual light sensitivity at 3 days. No complications were noted.
Conclusions: These preliminary results suggest clinical benefit of self-retained cryopreserved amniotic membrane in the treatment of acute traumatic corneal epithelial abrasions. Prompt in-office treatment for a short duration led to complete healing without complication
Branch Retinal Artery Occlusion after COVID-19
No full textBackground: A healthy, 39-year-old male patient presented with sudden onset, painless vision loss of the right eye’s superior visual field two months after a mild case of COVID-19.
Case Report: The patient was diagnosed with an acute branch retinal artery occlusion and referred to the emergency department for prompt evaluation. When the emergency workup was unremarkable the patient was referred to cardiology and hematology and follow up with a retinal specialist. The exhaustive systemic work-up was unremarkable other than recent COVID-19. Retinal perfusion to the affected area resumed in the weeks after the incident but irreversible vision loss occurred.
Conclusion: This case alerts providers of retinal artery occlusion as a potential sequela of COVID-19 even in those patients who are seemingly healthy and without typical risk factors
Disc Edema Secondary to Sleep Apnea: A Case Report
Full text linkBackground: Bilateral optic disc edema is associated with multiple systemic conditions of potentially dire consequences. Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is a common culprit and diagnosis of exclusion, which has been observed in multiple patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and raised questions of a pathophysiological link between the two.
Case Report: A 28-year-old Caucasian male with history of transient ischemic attack-like symptoms presented with bilateral disc edema prompting a multi-disciplinary work up that included imaging, lumbar puncture, laboratory analysis, neuroophthalmological, cardiological, and pulmonary evaluations that ultimately led to a diagnosis of OSA. The case is unique in that it followed the patient ten years after initial presentation.
Conclusion: In this case report, a stepwise approach worked through the differential diagnosis of bilateral disc edema in a young obese adult to isolate severe OSA as a likely cause, adding to our understanding of the pathophysiology and management of patients with this condition
Does Covid-19 Matter: A Growth Curve Modeling Analysis Estimating and Predicting The Growth Trends of the Accountable Care Organizations (ACOS) Preventative Quality Performance During 2016-2020 Period
No full textDoes COVID-19 Matter: A Growth Curve Modeling Analysis Estimating and Predicting the Growth Trends of the Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) Preventative Quality Performance During 2016-2020 Period
Christina M. Bocanegra, PhD
University of the Incarnate Word
Abstract
Introduction: CMS aggregates and reports Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) performance each year, resulting in distributed shared savings to provider participants. The intent is to share benefits with healthcare providers to promote lower costs, better patient experience, and better outcomes. The Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP), in which ACO groups collect data to include the six preventative quality care measures viewed in this study, focuses include impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on preventative quality care measures from 2016 to 2020. Research Questions: Questions asked in this study are as follows: (1)What would be the growth trend pattern for ACOs in terms of the six performance measures during the 2016-2020 period? (2)Do the two-time invariant covariates (i.e., size of patient population and size of provider population) significantly predict the changes in the six DVs over the 2016-2020 period? (3) What are the time-varying predictor effects on dependent variables from 2016-2020? (4) After controlling for the effects of both time-invariant and time-varying predictors, is there a significant change in the growth trend of DVs in the 2019-2020 COVID-19 period compared to the 2015-2019 period? (5) What growth trend can be predicted over the following years, 2021-2024, considering the effects of both time-invariant and time-varying predictors and COVID-19 impact? Methods: This study\u27s longitudinal correlational research design uses quantitative analytical methods, specifically growth curve modeling, to analyze secondary data from CMS ACO years 2016-2020. Results: Significant findings were found in four DVs, with a positive growth pattern over five years. The PT and PCP rate of increase for 2016-2020 also showed a statistically significant relationship between the dependent variable measures. It was found that low category ACOs, having low provider and patient populations, thrived the best in measuring outcome quality care. Findings include, in the COVID-19 year, the pandemic influenced patient counts, provider counts, and outcomes, and there was a decrease in preventive health measures. Lastly, all predictions trends for 2021-2024 showed increased points in preventive health measures, which shows an advancement in the ACO program. Conclusions: This study shows that the year that the pandemic started was associated with decreased preventive health measures. Addressing all patients\u27 quality of care measures to be met at every visit is the key to capturing patient compliance in fulfilling preventative health outcomes.
Keywords: Accountable Care Organizations (ACO), The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Resource Dependence Theory, COVID-19, Quality of Care, Preventative Care, Medicare, Predicting Modeling, Growth Curve Modelin
Navigating the Path to Researcher Identity: Experiences of Education PhD Students Engaged in a Community-University Research Partnership
No full textResearch Focus. This study explored how engaging in a community-oriented cross-disciplinary research project impacts the researcher identity development of PhD students in education. While doctoral education and student experiences have been widely researched, the specific process of researcher identity development remains under-researched. Recognizing the growing need to prepare PhD students for diverse career paths and aspirations, this study addresses a key gap by exploring how hands-on, collaborative research experiences shape PhD students’ growth as researchers.
Research Methods. Guided by a constructivist paradigm, this study employed a longitudinal qualitative multiple-case design to explore how PhD students in education experience researcher identity development through engaging in a cross-disciplinary project. Data were collected through learning audits, identity boxes, and semi-structured interviews, with each method selected to uncover the subjective meanings and interpretations students attribute to their evolving researcher identities. The learning audits and identity boxes were designed specifically to foster participant self-reflection and facilitate a meaning-making process around their development as researchers, while semi-structured interviews provided an additional layer of depth, serving as the final data source and allowing for member-checking.
Data analysis was conducted using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006/2022) that combined both inductive and deductive coding approaches. Inductive analysis allowed themes to emerge organically from participants\u27 experiences, capturing unique insights and personal reflections. This was followed by deductive analysis, applying the being-doing-becoming-belonging framework to examine how the emergent themes aligned with established theoretical dimensions (Hitch et al., 2014). Through iterative comparison of inductive and deductive codes, a set of integrated themes was developed, reflecting both theoretical constructs and participants\u27 distinct perspectives, thus providing a comprehensive understanding of researcher identity development.
Research Findings. The findings of this study revealed the complex, multi-dimensional process of researcher identity development among education PhD students. Participants emphasized the importance of internal motivations and self-perceptions as foundational to their evolving identities as researchers. They actively sought out learning opportunities, engaged consistently in research activities, and displayed resilience when facing various academic and research challenges. Reflecting on their growth, participants noted the development and transfer of key skills, alongside a shift in perspective as they increasingly began to think like a researcher. Additionally, collaborative experiences and social interactions fostered a sense of community, reinforcing their identities as emerging scholars and deepening their commitment to their research paths. However, the findings also highlighted certain shortcomings within the participants’ PhD program and the research project itself, pointing to areas where additional support, mentorship, and research opportunities could better support researcher identity development.
Conclusions from Research. The findings suggest that involvement in research projects can significantly enhance doctoral students\u27 researcher identity development by providing hands-on experience, opportunities for reflexivity, and fostering a sense of community. The findings highlight the importance of community-engaged, cross-disciplinary research in supporting PhD students’ researcher identity development, particularly through mentorship, collaboration, and real-world applications. This study contributes to a more holistic understanding of researcher training, aligning doctoral education with the diverse career demands students will face. Insights from this work advocate for doctoral programs to integrate interdisciplinary and applied research opportunities, benefiting students’ academic and non-academic career readiness and contributing to societal innovation. This study expands the literature on researcher identity development by focusing on a single discipline, addressing the gap on the role of practical research engagement in shaping the identities of emerging researchers