Alarm fatigue is a practice problem that applies to hospitalized patients and the nurses who care for them. Addressing alarm fatigue is important to promote alarm safety and to decrease the risk of patient harm or death. The purpose of this study was to decrease alarm fatigue and improve alarm safety in a regional neonatal intensive care unit (RNICU). Guided by the conceptual model for alarm fatigue and alarm safety, this study addressed whether or not alarm management protocols designed to decrease false and nuisance alarms in the physiological monitoring of neonates improve alarm safety via decreased alarm burden and alarm fatigue as evidenced by statistically significant reductions in false and nuisance alarms. A quantitative, time series quasi-experimental design was used with 4 waves of data collection. One wave was baseline data collected preintervention, and 3 waves of data were postprotocol implementation to obtain an initial indication of sustainability. Alarm observation data collection sheets were developed and used to track numbers and types of alarms pre- and post-protocol implementation. The data analysis showed statistically significant decreases in both false alarms and nuisance alarms related to the physiological monitoring protocol and lead changing protocol. Overall, high protocol adherence was noted, and the total number of alarms per hour per bed was reduced by 42% (p < .001), 46% (p < .001), and 50% (p < .001) from baseline at Weeks 2, 4, and 6, respectively. Implications from this study include impact on practice and policy, direction for future study, and a call for social change to promote alarm safety in the care of neonates.

African-American student achievement is a pervasive problem for school communities. This qualitative research explores the Black Church’s role in the bicultural development of six African-American male students. Using the critical theory of biculturalism this study seeks to determine what aspects of the Black Church experience influence the African-American male’s ability to navigate the school environment and participate in school. This dissertation study utilized to complementary methodologies, testimonies, and witnessing, to document the students experiences in the school and church communities. Data analysis included holistic-content analysis. Findings indicate the Black Church was an effective vehicle for the empowering process of biculturation. Thought its critical teachings, cultural responsive care, and engaged pedagogy, the Black Church affirms the bicultural students and helps them contend with their personal experiences with oppressive individuals and structures. The findings support the need for the Black church to participate in the education reform efforts affecting African-American students. The findings also support a renewed focus on engaging teachers in the utilization of culturally responsive care in their interactions with African-American students.

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In this study, we introduce several approaches to analyze large volumes of business descriptions by applying machine learning clustering and classification algorithms. The goal is to efficiently classify these descriptions, reducing the search scope and allowing for better business insights and decision-making processes. By using unlabeled business description data, we apply Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering (AHC), K-means, and Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise (DBSCAN) algorithms. Various preprocessing techniques, parameters and cluster numbers are employed for each method, aiming to maximize the number of overlapping and get the right similarity scores within the resulting clusters. The best number of overlapping are obtained using AHC, followed by K-means and DBSCAN, based on the implemented evaluation metrics. The conclusions drawn from this project have the potential to improve and contribute to the development of automated systems for business description analysis. Furthermore, this research opens the way for further exploration and enhancements in the application of machine learning techniques to business analytics.

The unresolved long-term effects of slavery and past and ongoing systemic racism directed toward Black Americans can be seen in the devaluing and aggressively racist treatment of Black students in Los Angeles County schools. Through qualitative interviews with Black education community members in Los Angeles County, this study collected Black education community members’ perspectives on the need for a multiphase education reparations system for Black youth, beginning with early learners (ages 0 to 8), and what components such a system should include. Participants overwhelmingly supported an education reparations system due to the over-policing and criminalization of Black students and the history of racist and unjust policies and inequitable education; participants suggested multiple components of a potential education reparations system that can be grouped as student supports, family supports, educational resources, and societal and policy reforms. The study concludes with a proposal for introducing an education reparations system in Los Angeles County led by Black community leaders and grounded in community outreach and ongoing organizing.

The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the benefit of offering a percussion ensemble class in secondary public schools. I looked at two elements of music education: playing time and relevant instruction. The research questions focused on the difference in playing time and relevant instruction between percussionists in the concert band and percussionists in the percussion ensemble, as well as differences between the concert band subgroups (brass, woodwind, percussion). 6 separate instrumental groups were observed: 4 concert bands and 2 percussion ensembles (N=6). Students were randomly selected from each instrument subgroup (brass, woodwind, percussion, percussion ensemble) for observation. A mixed model ANOVA was used to compare the playing time per hour of each instrument subgroup. A second mixed model ANOVA was used to compare the relevant instruction received per hour of each instrument subgroup. As anticipated, the concert band percussionists experienced significantly less playing time and relevant instruction than both the brass and woodwind subgroups. The percussion ensemble subgroup did not experience a significant difference in either playing time or relevant instruction from the concert band percussionstudents. However, informal observations of the rehearsals indicated a difference in the scope and depth of the playing time and instruction experienced by these two subgroups. Implications from these observations are also discussed.

Educational reform movements are constantly in the process of trying to improve a fractured educational system. Many scholars contend there is a discrepancy between educational outcomes for White students and students from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Some educators in working class communities of color have begun to infuse elements of students’ social and cultural backgrounds, including popular culture, to create instructional methods that can better engage and pique student interest. Hip-hop Pedagogy is one of the methods, rooted in popular culture, which is being used in classroom settings to increase students’ awareness about the societal constructs and issues in their communities that may affect them. Student access to Hiphop based instructional methods, however, have been limited and virtually absent from elementary education settings. However the consumption of Hip-hop culture persists in urban communities worldwide. This qualitative study implemented a Hip-hop emergent-based curriculum in an elementary school setting, closely documenting the perceptions and responses to the curriculum by four young males students of color. The study consisted of five consecutive classroom sessions, in which the curriculum and dialogue focused on different expressions of Hip-hop culture. Student viewpoints were logged daily in focus groups and the data that emerged from the sessions and focus groups informed the emergent curriculum. Graffiti became the Hip-hop element of focus chosen for deeper exploration by the participants in this study. The study revealed a number of findings that point to the potential value of an emergent Hip-hop curriculum with elementary male students of color.

Culturally responsive teaching practices in schools and classrooms have been shown to be an effective means of addressing the achievement gap, as well as the disproportionate representation of racially, culturally, ethnically, and linguistically diverse students in programs serving students with special needs. While there has been a recent influx in research discussing these issues, teachers and school staff lack clear examples and tools for best practices that will aid them in addressing the achievement gap and disproportionality effectively within their schools. Conducted in three phases, this research provides a framework for developing, implementing, and evaluating a culturally responsive tool for schools and school staff in order to impact beliefs and practices related to culturally responsive teaching, leading to the enhanced learning outcomes of all students.

With the world's population growing at a rate faster than the rate at which natural resources are being replenished, the challenge for governments and the world's citizens is how to conserve resources in order to provide a sustainable level of natural resources for the future. Conserving natural resources includes educating the citizens of the world on the connection between natural resource depletion and their levels of consumption of resources, such as energy and water. To help alleviate the increasing burden the world's growing population is placing on natural resources, sustainability should be a part of college students' education in their field of study and in preparing them to become good citizens. This education should take place in the classroom and other activities, including athletics, community organizations, and in their residence life. Teaching students living in on-campus residence halls conservation activities provides information that students can use in their private lives when setting up their own households. On-campus residence halls also provide an opportunity to evaluate any gender differences related to conservation activities since the demographics of the residence halls vary from all-female, to co-ed, to all-male students. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) was the location for a study on promoting environmentally-relevant behavior (ERB) among students residing in on-campus residence halls. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between the use of educational strategies and natural resource consumption by promoting ERB among students living in the residence halls during the spring and fall semesters of the 2009 calendar year. Using the literature on promoting ERB, five different strategies were designed for promoting water and electricity conservation. Each strategy involved different stimuli to promote student participation in ERB. The information provided the students included reasons why ERB was important and specific actions to take to conserve resources. In three of the strategies, students were provided the results of their conservation efforts monthly during the study period. The Virginia Tech Office of Residence Life provided detailed information for the 49 on-campus residence halls, including buildings' characteristics such as heating and cooling methods, age, construction, renovation history, square footage, if the buildings contained offices or classrooms, and student population figures. Variability among the buildings was eliminated by comparing these differences, and then a random numbers table was used to assign each of the buildings to one of the five different groups. The strategy for each group was applied to four residence halls -- two dormitories and two Greek Houses, for a total of twenty buildings. In each strategy more stimuli were applied in an effort to produce higher consumption reductions. The Virginia Tech Office of Facilities provided four-years historical electricity and seven-years historical water usage, and provided monthly usage for each building during the study period. Electricity consumption reduction was promoted in all twenty halls but water consumption reduction was promoted only in the dormitories, as the University was unable to track water consumption for any one individual Greek House. The historical data showed that water usage per student was higher in most of the female-occupied dormitories, but no statistical difference was seen with regards to historical electricity usage and gender. Percent change in per student usage — kilowatt hours for electricity and gallons for water — was the calculation used to determine change in ERB. The results of this research showed a general relationship between educational strategies and natural resource consumption reduction over both study periods. However, except for the Greek-House Spring semester results, no statistical significant difference was found between any of the different study groups. Electricity reductions were achieved in seventeen of twenty residence halls during the first semester and in all but one residence hall during the second semester. Water reductions were achieved in five of ten dormitories during the first semester and in six of nine dormitories in the second semester. However, the use of more strategies did not lead to a higher percentage of reductions. During the first semester, a statistically significant difference was found in water usage and gender and the difference did not support a female predisposition for ERB. Decreases were achieved in excess of 10% in the male-occupied dormitories, but only a minimal reduction or increases were achieved in any of the dormitories that included female residents. After the first month of the second semester, similar results were seen relative to gender, so additional posters and prompts were placed in the female-occupied dormitories. As a result, water reductions were achieved in six dormitories with only small increases in the other three, and the semester final results did not show a statistical significant difference between genders. The lack of statistical difference between the study groups could be a result of contamination, the active environmental organizations on campus, or an observational effect. The study was contaminated within the first two weeks of the study period when all residence halls across campus learned of the research and requested their inclusion in the study. Since, the residence halls in the control groups were advised of their inclusion in the study, the students may have demonstrated ERB because of the knowledge they were being observed. A survey sent to the students living in the study residence halls revealed that 94.6% of the students had knowledge of the study, and that 77% participated in ERB. Students showed a propensity for ERB when they were informed on their consumptive behaviors' effects on natural resource depletion, and by being provided with actions they could take to change their behaviors. This research did not show that adding strategies of feedback and group leaders to information increased the percentage of consumption reductions in college students residing on Virginia Tech's campus. / Master of Science