<p> The purpose of this study was to increase the understanding of the factors that contribute to or detract from the educational preparation of graduates between associate (AD) and baccalaureate degree (BD) respiratory therapy programs through the use of graduate and employer survey ratings, Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) credentialing success, and document analysis of various institutional and program mission, course content, and goals.</p><p> This study employed quantitative analyses to compare the perceptions of AD graduates and their employers with the perceptions of BD graduates and their employers regarding the educational program&rsquo;s ability to prepare graduates for entry into the profession. Graduate and employer ratings of cognitive, psychomotor, and affective competencies obtained from the follow-up surveys from 16 BD and 88 AD respiratory therapy programs were analyzed to determine whether there were perceived differences in preparation of associate and baccalaureate degree graduates. Credentialing success data for graduates of 361 AD and 57 BD respiratory therapy programs were also analyzed to determine whether differences in program type had an effect on RRT credentialing success. Multivariate analyses of variance, Welch&rsquo;s F tests and Mann-Whitney two-sample test were used to analyze the data. Additional information obtained from 22 AD and 22 BD institutions were also analyzed to explore similarities and differences in mission, vision, learning outcomes and coursework.</p><p> The three most significant findings in this study were that (1) Employers rated BD graduates higher than AD graduates in the cognitive (mean ratings 4.442 and 4.256 respectively) psychomotor (mean ratings 4.508 and 4.308 respectively) and affective domain (mean ratings 4.642 and 4.496 respectively); (2) BD employer survey ratings were also higher than AD employer ratings (mean ratings 4.49 and 4.21 respectively) on the mean rating for the single item that asked graduates to rate the overall quality of their preparation for entry into the profession and (3) Findings from the document analysis revealed that BD programs required courses beyond the minimum general education, prerequisite and RT course requirements. Thus, the results of this study support the &ldquo;2015 and Beyond&rdquo; recommendation that the BD be the minimum entry-level education required for entry into the profession.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was 1) to examine the significance of a patient&rsquo;s active or passive role in terms of his/her health management; 2) to determine if a relationship exists between one&rsquo;s active and passive scores and his/her self-directed learning readiness, and 3) to identify if his/her view of one&rsquo;s self as a patient (when diagnosed with a chronic disease) impacted his/her own personal health management. Utilizing the quantitative analysis of The Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale and the Vanderbilt Pain Management Inventory, 81 individuals&rsquo; descriptive statistics were analyzed. Self-directed learning was found to positively influence an individual&rsquo;s ability to be an active patient. The moderated demographic characteristics of age, ethnicity, education level, and gender did not have a direct relationship between selfdirected learning readiness and active/passive coping groups.</p>

Thesis (M.S.P.H.)--University of Michigan, 1936.

Thesis (M.S.P.H.)--University of Michigan, 1936.

<p> Embodied practices are central to the cultivation of nursing presence, but are rarely taught in nursing programs. This study proposed the use of brief embodied learning practices embedded in a nursing course. It quantitatively and qualitatively examined the impact of such a program experienced by 22 first-semester students in a registered nursing program. Embodied meditation (e.g., sensing and shifting attention to the body) and inquiry exercises (e.g., interacting with others while remaining fully present in oneself) were introduced in theory and skill lab classes during an 8-week Foundations of Nursing course taught in the spring semester of 2017. Fourteen students completed the embodied learning program as well as pretest and posttest questionnaires. Eighty-six percent of participants reported increased scores on embodied presence as measured by the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). Their posttest score on the FFMQ was greater than their pretest score with a moderate to high effect size (<i>p</i> &lt; .05, <i>d</i> = .75). A majority of participants reported positive changes in their wellbeing, learning ability, learning outcomes, relationships with patients, and satisfaction with the instruction of embodied learning, as measured by an Impact Questionnaire. Participants&rsquo; satisfaction with embodied learning was greater than their satisfaction with conventional instruction (<i>p</i> &lt; .05). The study found a positive correlation between increases in participants&rsquo; FFMQ scores and their overall exam scores in the course (<i>p</i> &lt; .01). Qualitative data from a focus group aligned with the quantitative findings. The results suggest practice guidelines for teaching embodiment within the context of content learning in nursing courses.</p><p>

Print materials for audiences with low levels of literacy usually include illustrations. This is particularly true of health education materials designed to raise awareness of serious diseases like the Human Immuno-deficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) and Tuberculosis (TB). When people cannot read well, it is often assumed illustrations will communicate information more clearly than written text. Theories of visual communication, however, suggest that visuals are ambiguous and more likely to be misinterpreted than written text, especially by under-educated viewers in environments where visuals and print materials are scarce. Moreover, the traditional guidelines on illustrating educational materials for adults with limited literacy are dated and often anecdotal. Due to South Africa’s high HIV/AIDS and TB infection rates, effective health education is important. The lack of basic literacy skills among millions of adults presents a challenge. It is important to understand the communicative potential and limitations of illustrations in health education materials in order to maximise their success. This qualitative research analyses how visual meaning is structured in illustrations from health education print materials from a semiotic perspective. A mixed method approach known as hybridised semiotics (Penn, 2000) is used, which in this case combines the semiotic analysis of the illustrations with data collected through interviews. Audience interpretations of the illustrations are contrasted with the producer’s intended meanings. 23 individual interviews were conducted with Zulu-speaking adult participants from ABET Level 1 Zulu literacy classes in two rural and two urban literacy centres in KwaZulu-Natal. The research instrument for the interviews included illustrations in different illustrating styles and with different approaches to content. The content of the illustrations included HIV/AIDS; the digestive system, safety for caregivers, and TB. The illustration styles included artistic techniques, levels of stylization, pictorial depth and background detail. The participants frequently misinterpreted the illustrations, or were able to describe the basic appearance of what was depicted without interpreting the complexities of the intended messages. Reported education levels seemed to influence participants’ abilities to interpret pictures, but not as significantly as expected. Findings suggest that rural participants were more likely to misinterpret illustrations containing symbols and unfamiliar objects, and tended to focus on describing surface details. Even though urban participants were more likely to discuss the connotations of illustrations, they often misinterpreted the intended message. Previous background knowledge and experience of the subject matter of the illustrations seemed to be the factor that enabled participants to infer the intended meanings of illustrations. This study demonstrates the use of a semiotic approach to analysing illustrations, which may help to predict and avoid sources of confusion for audiences with low literacy. It also confirms that certain guidelines remain relevant while others do not, and provides specific recommendations on how to enhance the effectiveness of visual communication in this context. Illustrations have many beneficial roles, and remain essential components of reading material for audiences with low levels of literacy. It is therefore important to understand their complexity, and the reasons why they may be misinterpreted, so that their educational potential can be maximised. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2014.