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Examining Student Course Outcomes in First Year Anatomy and Physiology Using E-Books Versus Traditional Textbooks
Get PDFOver the last several years, use of e-books in higher education has increased significantly and is projected to continue through the next decade. Institutions of higher learning have implemented use of e-books without any data that verified the impact on student learning outcomes. The purpose of this ex post facto, quantitative study was to compare student learning outcomes in Human Anatomy and Physiology I courses using e-books versus using traditional textbooks at a two-year public community college in South Texas. With a participant population of 686 students, data were analyzed by their final grades comparing the differences between those who used an e-book with those who used traditional textbooks. Analysis of the data indicated that student learning outcomes (success) in Human Anatomy and Physiology I were independent of the type of book used. Whether students used a traditional textbook or an e-book, no significant difference was found for student learning outcomes (success). Student learning outcomes in Human Anatomy and Physiology were at the same level for students using e-books because of built-in features of the books. These features, which have been termed the e-book effect by this author, combine aspects of constructivist, social constructivist, and active learning that allowed a student to progress through Bloom’s Taxonomy to gain mastery of the subject matter
An Assessment of the Relationship Between the Hospital Chief Executive Officer’s Leadership Behaviors and Hospital Success
Get PDFThe health care delivery system in the United States has received increased attention over the last 2 decades. Concerns of access, choice, cost, and quality have been in the forefront. This study was conducted to assess the leadership behaviors of hospitals’ chief executive officers and how they impact the performance of hospitals. Two instruments were used to collect the data for the study: the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ-5X; Avolio & Bass, 2004) and a demographics questionnaire. A correlational research design was used to measure the degree of association between variables related to hospital CEOs, the hospitals they represented and hospital success as measured by operating margin and center of excellence designation. Hospitals with an operating margin of 8% or greater were considered successful as were hospitals with 2 or more centers of excellence. In assessing CEO leadership, the research focused on 9 MLQ-5X behaviors: 5 transformational, 2 transactional, and 2 laissez-faire. In this study, 2 transformational leadership behaviors, Idealized influence (IIB) and Inspirational motivation (IM) were found to be positively associated with operating margin. Further, for-profit hospitals had higher margins than non-profit hospitals and larger hospitals had a greater chance of having 2 or more modalities of excellence. Finally, hospitals with female CEOs had larger operating margins than those with male CEOs
Following the Good Shepherd Retreat for Children and Parents Preparing to Receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist
Get PDFI will develop and implement two retreats for the First Communion children and parents that attend Christ the King Cathedral Parish and School in Lubbock; TX. These retreats will serve as teaching tools to help participants develop a more in depth theological understanding of the Church\u27s teaching on the Sacraments of Reconciliation and First Eucharist. Furthermore, the retreats will include prayer experiences that will demonstrate to all participants the need to pray always both within and outside the Christian community. Finally, the parents will receive tools that will assist them in preparing their children for their First Reconciliation and First Eucharist. The first retreat will be a First Reconciliation Retreat and it will be implemented in the fall. The second retreat will be a First Eucharist Retreat and it will be implemented in the spring
Second-Billed but not Second-Rate: A Reappraisal of Three Character Actors From Hollywood’s Golden Age
Get PDFSeventy-six years ago Hollywood experienced something never before nor since seen. The year, 1939, was Hollywood’s “Dream Year” for production of some of the most memorable films of all time. Today, the term used to describe films of this success level is blockbuster. Film scholars and fans call them classics. It was the culmination of films of Hollywood’s Golden Age starring every one of Hollywood’s A-Listers of this Golden Age of film, from Don Ameche to Loretta Young. However, lost in this maze of the top-billed or leading actors were the character actors who were also known as supporting cast members or B-stars. What the performances of these character actors communicate to the world is the focus of this thesis. First, a reappraisal of three character actors, Eve Arden, Charles Coburn, and Thomas Mitchell was conducted through research of existing literature. Second, interviews were conducted with classic film experts, publicists, and those possessing unique knowledge and/or experience on the topic, to establish grounded theory. Analysis and findings of these interview responses provided insight into the contributions of classic film character actors – these three and at-large – as second-billed but not second-rate. Finally, findings supported the hypothesis of the deficiency in scholarly literature on this research topic and how character actors contributed to the overall and lasting success of their films
Fall Prevention Among Older Adults Living in the Community
Get PDFOlder adults are within the fastest population growth rate in the United States, and as the population ages, the potential for falls increases (DHHS, 2011). This was a mixed-method explanatory study that investigated the perceptions of older adults regarding the usefulness, adequacy, and positive experience of fall information among older adults living in the community when received from healthcare professionals during physician’s office visits. The research questions were: 1. What is the relationship among perceptions of usefulness, adequacy, and positive experience of fall information among older adults? 2. Is there a difference in the perceptions of usefulness and adequacy among older adults who receive fall information in a positive manner and those who receive fall information in a negative manner? 3. Is there a difference in the perceptions of useful and adequacy of fall prevention information between older adults who live alone and those who live with someone? The results to question 1 were that there were strong positive significant correlations. The results to question 2 were that the null hypothesis was rejected. There is evidence to assume that those who received fall prevention information in a positive manner reported it to be more useful and adequate. The results to question 3 were that there was not enough evidence to reject the hypothesis of no difference in the perceptions of usefulness or adequacy of fall prevention information among participants who live alone and those who live with someone. The qualitative questions were: 1. Tell me a little more about what you need from healthcare providers regarding fall prevention information. 2. Tell me what you think healthcare providers should be discussing with older adults regarding fall prevention. 3. Tell me a little bit more what you feel would be beneficial to you in terms of fall prevention information. 4. Tell me about your experience of getting fall prevention information at a doctor’s office. The analyses of the open-ended data were repetitive themes expressed by the participants. The analyses of the closed-ended questions were confirming statements of the same themes found in the closed-ended interviews
Ethnic Identity Among Maronite Lebanese in the United States
Get PDFImmigration is defined as the process of moving across countries and has several effects on sending and receiving countries. Several waves of immigrants came from Lebanon to the United States starting in the late 1800s. They were expected to assimilate into the new society but ethnic faith based communities assisted them in also maintaining that their ethnic identity. The purpose of this mixed methodology study is to explore the role of the church in preserving the ethnic identity among the Maronite Lebanese immigrants in the United States. The mixed methodology study answered 3 major questions. Quantitative data were collected from youth between the ages of 12 and 23 years old and adults 24 and older from Maronite parishes in the United States who answered an adaptation of the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) (Phinney, 1992). Qualitative data were collected by interviewing 6 Maronite clergy serving in the United States. The participants included 2 Lebanese born immigrants, 2 Americans of Lebanese descent, and 2 Americans of European descent. The quantitative results in this study showed that the majority of Maronite Lebanese in the United States have achieved and understood their ethnic identity. Most of them demonstrated their identity, had positive feelings towards their ethnic group, and were well assimilated into the American society. Ethnic behavior and affirmation were significant predictors of ethnic achievement among the participants. However, assimilation did not predict ethnic achievement. Participants in the qualitative study considered that the church has a great influence on immigrants and plays a significant role in preserving their ethnic and religious identities. This study offered a snapshot of the Maronite church in the United States. The Maronite Church in the United States continues to move into the future while striving to assist Lebanese immigrants to assimilate into the U.S. society and achieve and understand their ethnic identity. The Church is called to be an inviting and welcoming church, flourishing and unique, and rooted in Lebanon. The creation of educational and outreach programs would help the church in her efforts to preserve the ethnic identity of her faithful
Mentoring, Job Satisfaction, Job Dissatisfaction, and Organizational Commitment Among Graduate Nurses
Get PDFShortage of bedside nurses has been researched for a long time. Many researchers have referred to different shortage percentages, but the American Nurse Association stated that the shortage of bedside nurses would increase in the range of 29% to 36% by 2020. It is also reported that a large number of newly graduated, newly hired nurses leave within one year as compared to newly hired experienced nurses. The purpose of this correlational study was to evaluate the influence of mentoring, mediating job satisfaction, job dissatisfaction, and, therefore, organizational commitment, on nurses who completed the nurse residency program between January 2010 and December 2014. The two research questions were (a) Is there a relationship between organizational commitment, job satisfaction, job dissatisfaction, and mentoring? and (b) Does mentoring influence job satisfaction, job dissatisfaction, and organizational commitment of nurses who have completed a nurse residency program? This study was conducted in 2 south Texas hospitals with a sample of 100 nurses. A single stage convenience sampling technique was used to gather the data. To collect the data, 3 instruments and a demographic survey were used. The instruments used were the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (Mowday, Steers, & Porter, 1979); the Index of Work Satisfaction Questionnaire (Stamps, 1997); and the Assessment of the Relationship With the Mentor (Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses, 2012). There was a 16.89% response rate to the survey. The majority of the respondents were female and between 26 and 30 years old. The highest response rate was from nurses who graduated in 2014. The variables were organizational commitment, job satisfaction, job dissatisfaction, and mentoring. Pearson correlation revealed that mentoring did not directly correlate with organizational commitment, but it did indirectly correlate with job satisfaction. The stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction together accounted for 47.9% variability of organizational commitment. This study found that professional status (a component of job satisfaction) and, pay and administration (a component of job dissatisfaction) had the largest impact on determining the nurses’ organizational commitment. The study found that job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction were mediated by mentoring, which in turn influenced organizational commitment
Ethics of Thailand\u27s Tourism Industry
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to investigate how ethical sales behavior related to the likelihood of tourists to return to Thailand. The Ethical Tourism Industry survey used was adapted from previous studies found in the literature. The sample of 300 participants was drawn from international tourists who travelled in the North, Central, and South regions of Thailand. Tests of correlation used Pearson, logistic regression, and linear regression to analyze the research questions in this study. An analysis found that most tourists who were revisiting Thailand were male, and 49% of tourists came from Europe and Africa for leisure purposes. Those tourists had a median age of 37.5 years with an average household income. Generally speaking, tourists were satisfied with all aspects, except tour packages and information services, the public signs and directions, political and economic stability, and especially, the cleanliness of public places. Thailand’s tourism might be increased by improving public facilities and improving the stability of government. Also, international tourists reported that well over half would return to Thailand in the next 12 months if given the opportunity, and they would recommend Thailand to others. The empirical results of this study emphasized that there was a strong relationship between the perceived ethical sales behaviors of businesses and international tourists’ satisfaction when moderated by gender, age, household income, and region. In addition, Somers’ analysis showed that there was a moderately significant relationship between the tourists’ satisfaction and the likelihood of international tourists to return, and the relationship between the tourists’ satisfaction and their positive recommendations Thailand to others. The results indicated that the variables of gender, age, household income, and region did not have an influence on the likelihood of international tourists to return, but the tourists’ satisfaction did positively influence that likelihood to return. The study provided useful information to the tourism local authorities, tourism planners, businesses, and marketers to focus more on enhancing, improving, and maintaining factors that contribute to international tourists’ satisfaction, ethical sales behaviors, and likelihood to return
Online Versus Face-To-Face Nutrition Courses at a Community College: A Comparative Study of Learning Outcomes
Get PDFStudents have been gravitating towards the Online Learning Environment (OLE). The preference for online learning models (OLM) among students has grown more rapidly than for traditional face-to-face models in community colleges in the United States of America. Research about OLMs has focused on teaching efficiency and effectiveness to support the growth of online education. Administrators and teachers have continually sought to gain more knowledge about this issue, especially with concerns regarding engagement of students in an online learning environment. Increased student dissatisfaction with online learning models, a high withdrawal rate, and inadequate student-learning outcomes are some of the factors that have contributed to this comparative analysis of online versus face-to-face learning models. Of the 541 student records collected for this post hoc study, initial analysis indicated that learning outcomes of students enrolled in an online nutrition class showed a statistically significant difference from the learning outcomes of the face-to-face section of the same class, although the difference was small
Learning Preferences and Perceptions of Undergraduate Mathematics Tutees
Get PDFThe large number of students at postsecondary education institutions who are not college ready has increased the need for learning assistance programs. Tutoring programs are common at many such schools; however, the effect of tutoring students in modern schools is inconclusive. There is some evidence that tutoring helps students learn material they would be unable to learn otherwise, and other evidence suggests tutoring has no influence on academic performance. Considering the lack of consistent evidence to support tutoring programs, why is there still a high demand for them? The answer may include the students’ learning style and/or perception of the tutoring environment. Learning style is the way the student takes in new information or the way a student behaves in a learning experience. The learning environment includes the aesthetics and interactions within the tutoring setting. Not much is known about students who regularly seek out tutoring. The purpose of this quantitative study is to investigate correlations between the number of hours spent in tutoring, the learning styles of undergraduate mathematics students, and the perceptions these students have of their tutoring environments. This is a quantitative study investigating correlations among learning style, perception of the tutoring environment, and hours spent in tutoring. The students’ learning styles was measured using the Index of Learning Styles based on the Felder Silverman Learning Style Model. The number of hours spent in tutoring, and the perception of the tutoring environment was measured with a self-report survey. The data was coded using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. A principle components analysis was done on the environment measures and correlation tests were run to investigate the interaction of learning style, environment, and hours spent in tutoring