Over the past few decades, there has been an increase in literature on social work practice with the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community, with a strong focus on the LGB portion of the community. Due to the lack of literature in social work practice with the transgender population, this study was designed to assess bachelor and master levels social workers’ knowledge, attitudes and preparedness for working with the transgender community. This study is significant to the field of social work as it evaluates if students can provide comprehensive services to transgender clients. The study uses a quantitative survey design utilizing an adapted version of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Assessment Scale (LGBTAS). The data were analyzed by differentiating the two types of social work students to evaluate the differences in preparedness levels by asking about participants’ phobias, attitudes, and cultural competence. As there has been minimal literature on the social work practice with the transgender population, the implications of this study will present the support for a transgender-inclusive approach to social work practice. Study findings suggest that when compared to one another, bachelor level students feel more prepared to advocate on behalf of transgender clients than do master level students. Furthermore, master level students felt their social work programs were not providing culturally competent coursework and field placements that prepared them to work with transgender clients, while bachelor level students did feel prepared.

The primary purpose of this study was to observe the dynamics between sexual harassment (SH), social identity theory, and justice perceptions. Furthermore, participants’ past experience with SH may have created conspiracy mentalities to explain outgroup members (e.g., males) behavior towards women. From a social identity perspective, women who strongly identify with being female should be more prone to view lower justice perceptions when a male investigator denies an SH claim, but equally high levels of justice perceptions when male or female investigators confirm SH and when a female investigator denies SH. Four scenarios were created where female participants (N = 283) were randomly assigned to one of four scenarios: Scenario 1 involved a female investigator who confirmed an SH claim; Scenario 2 involved a female investigator who denied an SH claim; Scenario 3 involved a male investigator who confirmed an SH claim; and Scenario 4 involved a male investigator who denied an SH claim. Regression analyses revealed that social identity (i.e., gender identity) had no predictive value regarding justice perceptions, but that the decision of the investigators influenced justice perceptions. Furthermore, an ANOVA was utilized and discovered significant mean differences between the four scenarios, suggesting that there were differences when the investigator confirmed SH (both male and female) or denied SH (both male and female), but there was no significant interaction. Participants had low justice perceptions when SH was denied and higher justice perceptions when SH was confirmed. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed, as well as directions for future research.

The overarching goal of the present thesis was to study women’s perceptions of sexual assault perpetrators and how those perceptions relate to fear of sexual assault. Previous researchers have developed a substantial literature on predictors and correlates of sexual assault perpetration. What is not known is how accurate women’s perceptions are of these predictors. Rationale from both evolutionary mismatch theory and social psychological stereotype theory suggests that women’s perceptions may be inaccurate. In the present thesis, I tested a set of hypotheses designed to examine individual differences in women’s perceptions of sexual assault perpetrators and how these perceptions relate to fear of rape. A total of 128 women completed a survey assessing their perceptions of characteristics of sexual assault perpetrators, their fears about sexual assault, their perceived risk of sexual assault, and their previous sexual assault related experiences. Results indicated that women’s perceptions of perpetrator characteristics were generally inaccurate. Furthermore, women’s overall level of accuracy was not predictive of their fear nor risk of stranger or acquaintance rape. However, women’s perceived risk of either stranger or acquaintance rape was predictive of their fear of each respective assault. These findings provide evidence for both evolutionary mismatch theory and social psychological stereotype theory. Implications regarding women’s sexual assault education and fear reduction are discussed.

As newly licensed registered nurses enter their first nursing role, their perceived preparation for practice may vary. This descriptive study addressed the education-practice gap that exists as nurses transition into nursing practice. The use of Benner's skill acquisition model offers a structure for connecting theory to practice. New graduate nurses responded to the Casey-Fink Graduate Nurse Experience Survey-© to identify gaps in preparedness for novice practice. A convenience sample of nurses within the first 12 months of hire (n = 35) was sent the survey link by educators from the chosen sites. Anonymity was maintained with 18 total responses and 5 respondents completing the entire 25-question survey. Responses were analyzed via descriptive statistics. New graduate nurses either strongly agreed or agreed that they were prepared for their new role and received positive support from preceptors and staff. However, nurses disagreed or strongly disagreed that they were prepared for transition from student to nurse in the areas of workload, unit integration, system, and interpersonal concerns. Thirty percent also felt uncomfortable with independent performance of some technical skills, such as emergency management and blood administration. None of the new graduate nurses felt unprepared in professional skills related to leadership, communication, and decision making, a finding which contrasts with the literature, which indicates that these are areas of difficulty for new graduates. These findings can be used to structure curriculum and educational strategies to address the perceptions of preparedness and transition-to-practice concerns discovered in this project. This project may lead to social change in its attempt to close the education-practice gap with a stronger population of new graduate nurses.

State legislators in the Midwestern United States implemented a Third Grade Reading Guarantee law to prevent the promotion of Grade 3 students with poor reading skills to Grade 4. As a result, schools implemented innovative reading interventions, thereby driving a need to determine teachers' concerns and levels of use (LoU) of these innovative interventions. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand Grade 3 reading teachers' stages of concerns (SoC) and LoU in implementing reading interventions, and teachers' comprehension of the innovation configurations, in view of the new Third Grade Reading Guarantee law. The conceptual framework used to undergird this study was the concerns-based adoption model. The SoC described 7 categories of possible concerns for an innovation, and the LoU described 8 behavioral profiles that educators used in practice. Data collection occurred through in-depth interview sessions using a purposeful sample of 10 Ohio Grade 3 reading teachers. Emergent themes were identified through a coding and thematic data-analysis process. Findings revealed that Ohio Grade 3 teachers' dominant SoC was a need for collaboration with other teachers. The second dominant SoC was a need to refocus on how the reading interventions would be used for the following school year. Findings showed that teachers' level of usage in Year 1 were at the mechanical level, focusing on the daily usage of the manual. In Year 2, teachers refined their practice and were better able to vary implementation format. Teachers' use of innovations improve at-risk students' reading skills, making them better scholars, who are then able to compete on many levels, and as future adults they will be able to make a positive social change by giving back to their communities.

Researchers have shown that movement increases brain function, improves mental health, supports cognitive development for students, and reduces sedentary time, all which can influence overall health. Research concerning learning with intentional movement is limited. In the United States, Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are being mandated, and teachers are challenged to teach the standards creatively and to maximize time used for instruction. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the lived experiences and perceptions of elementary general education (GE) teachers who taught CCSS using a kinesthetic learning plan (KLP). Bandura's self-reinforcement and social learning theories provided the conceptual framework; the principles of interpretative phenomenological analysis were used to structure the study. Research questions were framed to understand how the teachers experienced teaching the KLP and their perceptions related to how students learned the CCSS. Data were elicited through individual interviews with 11 GE teachers from primarily rural areas in the western part United States. In vivo coding and iterative analyses revealed themes and findings. Themes included teacher understanding (confidence and comfort), implementing resources (creativity and resourcefulness), teacher feelings (pressure and success), making the mind-body connection, and teacher beliefs and perceptions about their practices. Teachers perceived KLPs as useful in teaching the CCSS and experienced support for expanding their teaching practices. Positive social change implications include helping teachers maximize instructional time and helping students achieve standards and address health needs.

Briefing for a clinical simulation in nursing school is an information session that sets the stage for a meaningful simulation activity. Improper or inadequate briefing practices can impact the quality of learning nursing students receive through clinical simulation experience. The purpose of this study, guided by the novice to expert and social cognitive theories, was to explore accelerated baccalaureate nursing (ABN) students' perceptions of their briefing experiences and how the briefing experiences influenced the acquisition of clinical skills and knowledge. Twelve ABN students from a school of nursing in one of the Northeastern states were interviewed through e-mail correspondence. Thematic coding was conducted on the data and the themes derived were inconsistencies in briefing practices, a sense of uncertainty, and inefficient acquisition of clinical skills and knowledge. The inconsistencies in the practice of briefing varied between courses and instructors and improper briefing generated a sense of uncertainty among participants and feelings of ineffective acquisition of clinical skills and knowledge from simulations. The results will enable nurse educators in the local setting to improve briefing protocols and adhere to the briefing standards to facilitate students' learning. The use of rigorous research designs involving a larger sample size from multiple research sites in different geographical regions is recommended for future research to examine if this problem is relevant to all nursing schools. The implications for positive social change include the potential impact of proper briefing practices in enabling ABN students to acquire clinical skills and knowledge effectively so that they can safely provide quality care to their patients.

There is a problem with fidelity of implementation (FOI) of the Response to Intervention (RTI) framework in an elementary school in the southeastern United States. Both teachers and administrators have observed inconsistent implementation of RTI and teachers' reported lack of motivation to implement RTI as designed. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to gather teacher and administrator perceptions of the FOI of RTI model using interviews, surveys, and review of archived documents. The implementation of science framework formed the conceptual foundation of this qualitative project study. The research question focused on the FOI of the RTI model as it related to effective interventions, implementation methods, enabling contexts, and intended outcomes. The purposeful sample included 9 participants using the selection criteria for educators who were employed as Kindergarten to 3rd grade elementary teachers or as administrative/support staff and actively participated in the process and procedures of the implementation of the RTI model at the target site. Data were coded and analyzed using inductive analyses. Findings included common themes related to the need for professional development (PD) on interventions, progress monitoring, expectations, differentiation, and the value of RTI. Based on the findings, a project was constructed to include collaborative learning within ongoing PD sessions and development of professional learning communities (PLCs) to refine implementation of RTI. The findings from this study may lead to positive social change by allowing educators to implement RTI with a greater fidelity to accommodate the needs of diverse learners.

Lacking a healthy attachment to a caregiver and having in-utero methamphetamine exposure have been linked to a variety of cognitive delays, developmental delays, and mental health issues throughout a person's lifespan. It is unknown if there is a relationship between in-utero methamphetamine exposure and the ability to build a healthy attachment to a caregiver. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to improve understanding of the perceptions of caregivers about attachment efforts for foster children under the age of 3, who have had in-utero methamphetamine exposure. This study was guided by attachment theory. Purposeful sampling was used to select 7 participants who had provided care to foster children with in-utero methamphetamine exposure within the last year. Data were collected through the use of semistructured interviews, which were conducted in-person, audiotaped, and then transcribed. Data was analyzed through text searches of themes, axial coding, and repetitive words. Trustworthiness was obtained through member checking and generating a rich description of the participants' experiences. The findings revealed that many of the participants feel that these children do not respond to their efforts to build a healthy attachment to them. They also felt that the foster children did not process stimuli, such as touch, in the same way as other children; that the foster children found such interactions to be aversive. The findings of this study have the potential to impact social change by assisting therapists, caseworkers, and foster parents better understand the needs of foster children and to create a foundation for interventions to better serve foster children with in-utero methamphetamine exposure.

Student incivility has become a problem in nursing schools around the country. Researchers have noted that uncivil behavior that goes unaddressed may compromise the educational environment. Nursing faculty have differing standards about uncivil behavior; thus, students experience inconsistencies in approaches to incivility. The purpose of this mixed-methods explanatory study was to explore nursing faculty experiences with, understandings of, and responses to student incivility. The conceptual framework was Clark's continuum of incivility and the conceptual model for fostering civility in nursing education. Descriptive analysis of the level and frequency of uncivil behaviors of nursing faculty members (17 full-time and 15 part-time), as measured by the Incivility in Nursing Education-Revised survey, indicated that faculty most frequently experienced uncivil behaviors at the lower end of the continuum and rarely encountered those at the higher end. A purposeful sample of 12 faculty members (10 full-time and 2 part-time) participated in semistructured interviews, and data were open coded and analyzed thematically. Stress was identified as a contributing factor to student incivility, and faculty responses varied based on the learning environment. Nursing faculty expressed the need for more consistency in responding to student incivility. Based on the research findings, a 3-day professional development workshop on promoting civility in the academic environment was created. By learning practical ways to respond to, and possibly prevent, uncivil behavior in student nurses, workshop participants have the potential to positively affect the lives of future nurses, the health care personnel with whom they will work, and the patients for whom they will care.