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This dissertation reports the results of an exploratory case study utilizing quantitative and qualitative methodologies intended to ascertain the extent and differences of implementation of research-based instructional practices, learned in an intensive 26-month professional development, in their urban classrooms. Both the extent and differences in the implementation of practices were investigated in relation to the lesson design and implementation, content, and classroom culture aspects of research-based practices. Additionally, this research includes the concerns of the teachers regarding the factors that helped or hindered the implementation of research-based practices in their classrooms. Six graduates of the Master of Chemistry Education Program who were teaching a chemistry course in a high school in the School District of Philadelphia at the time of the study (2006-8), were the case. The teachers completed a concerns questionnaire with closed and open-ended items, and rated their perceptions of the extent of implementation of the practices in their urban classrooms. Additionally, the teachers were observed and rated by the researcher using a reform-teaching observation protocol and were interviewed individually. Also, the teachers submitted their lesson plans for the days they were observed. Data from these sources were analyzed to arrive at the findings for this study. The research findings suggest that the group of teachers in the study implemented the research-based practices in their classrooms to a low extent when compared to the recommended practices inherent to the MCE Program. The extents of implementation of the practices differed widely among the teachers, from being absent to being implemented at a high level, with inconsistent levels of implementation from various data sources. Further, the teachers expressed the depth of knowledge (gained in the MCE Program), formal laboratory exercises and reports, administrative support, self-motivated students, and group/collaborative work as several factors that enabled or would have enabled the implementation of practices. Among the many factors that hindered the implementation of the practices in their urban classrooms were, the core curriculum and pacing schedule, followed by test preparation, administrative paper-work, large class-size, students not prepared for student-centered work, poor math and reading skills of students, students' lack of motivation, unsupportive department head, unresponsive administration, and lack of resources. / CITE/Mathematics and Science Education

Objectifs: Les patients hospitalisés aux soins intensifs (SI) sont souvent victimes d’erreurs médicales. La nature interprofessionnelle des équipes de SI les rend vulnérables aux erreurs de communication. L’objectif primaire du projet est d’améliorer la communication dans une équipe interprofessionnelle de soins intensifs par une formation en simulation à haute fidélité. Méthodologie Une étude prospective randomisée contrôlée à double insu a été réalisée. Dix équipes de six professionnels de SI ont complété trois scénarios de simulations de réanimation. Le groupe intervention était débreffé sur des aspects de communication alors que le groupe contrôle était débreffé sur des aspects techniques de réanimation. Trois mois plus tard, les équipes réalisaient une quatrième simulation sans débreffage. Les simulations étaient toutes évaluées pour la qualité, l’efficacité de la communication et le partage des informations critiques par quatre évaluateurs. Résultats Pour l’issue primaire, il n’y a pas eu d’amélioration plus grande de la communication dans le groupe intervention en comparaison avec le groupe contrôle. Une amélioration de 16% de l’efficacité des communications a été notée dans les équipes de soins intensifs indépendamment du groupe étudié. Les infirmiers et les inhalothérapeutes ont amélioré significativement l’efficacité de la communication après trois sessions. L’effet observé ne s’est pas maintenu à trois mois. Conclusion Une formation sur simulateur à haute fidélité couplée à un débreffage peut améliorer à court terme l’efficacité des communications dans une équipe interprofessionnelle de SI. / Objective: Patient hospitalized in intensive care units (ICU) are often victims of medical errors. The interprofessional nature of ICU teams makes them particularly vulnerable to communication errors. The primary objective of this project is to improve interprofessional communication in an ICU team using a high fidelity simulation-based training. Method A prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled trial was conducted. Ten teams of six ICU workers completed three simulated scenarios of resuscitation. The intervention group was debriefed on communication skills, whereas the control group was debriefed on technical resuscitation skills. Three months later, teams completed a fourth simulation without debriefing. All simulation sessions were coded for quality, efficacy of communication and team information-sharing by four blinded observers. Results For our primary end-point, improvement in communication in intervention group wasn’t greater than in control group. A 16% increase in communication effectiveness was noted in ICU teams independently of the studied group. Nurses and respiratory therapists significantly increased their communication effectiveness after three sessions. The effect did not last to three months. Conclusion The combination of high-fidelity simulation training and communication-oriented debriefing can produce short-term gains in communication effectiveness of an interprofessional ICU team.

<p> The purpose of this project to was to 1) develop, 2) instruct, 3) evaluate, and 4) revise a 5^th-12^th grade fisheries conservation engineering outreach program entitled <i>Smart Fishing and the Bering Sea</i> (SFBS).</p><p> Fishery resources are important to Alaska and Alaskans, but present complex conservation challenges including user conflicts and concerns about unsustainable fishing practices. Increasing Alaska residents' environmental literacy will enhance natural resource management decisions regarding fisheries. The intent of the SFBS program is to introduce students to ecological and economical factors that drive conservation engineering in the Bering Sea pollock fishery. I instructed the SFBS program to 93 students from four different public and private institutions in Anchorage, Alaska. My observations and participants' pre- and post-program concept maps were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the SFBS curriculum. Participants gained content knowledge from this fishery outreach program about the Bering Sea and commercial fishing. Program evaluation analysis and results were used to revise the curriculum and make suggestions to SFBS stakeholders.</p>

<p> In order to explore recruitment methods for attracting undergraduate underrepresented minority (URM) students to the sciences, an applied intervention involving the manipulation of the construct of interest was implemented. Using Bridges to the Baccalaureate--a scientific research program available to community college URM students--as the context for the intervention, I redesigned the original recruitment brochure into two new brochures: one designed to catch interest and one designed to catch interest as well as hold it. Largely attributable to inherent limitations of applied research, no differences were found between the number of applications submitted the year the intervention was implemented compared to the previous baseline year, nor were any differences found between the number of applications submitted by students who received the interest brochure compared to those who received the utility value brochure. </p>

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