<p> This qualitative descriptive study explored the experiences of three Kuwaiti pre-service teachers with guided reflection and the extent to which video technology facilitates reflection. The data sources were semi-structured and video-elicited interviews, field notes, and researcher reflective journals. The study was guided by two research questions: In what ways does video elicitation facilitate Kuwaiti pre-service teachers&rsquo; reflections? What do Kuwaiti pre-service teachers reflect about? I used Rogoff&rsquo;s Sociocultural Theory (2003; 1995) as my conceptual lens for this study which stresses the importance of cultural contexts in all areas of education. I developed a concept I call &ldquo;third-eye&rdquo; thinking to define a multifaceted approach to education and reflection. I also developed a concept I call &ldquo;cultural spheres of influence&rdquo; to describe the multitude of cultural influences that shape individuals and groups in unique ways. This study also depended on guided reflection to complement the process of video elicitation. The findings of my study indicated that video elicitation provided concrete material as a basis for reflection. My findings showed that Kuwaiti early childhood pre-service teachers reflected on various topics including: teaching tools and materials, strategies and techniques, everyday problems and challenges, classroom dynamics and management, and evaluators and the evaluation process. This research contributes to the existing body of literature by giving reflection a new culturally-rooted definition based on its application by Kuwaiti pre-service teachers and through a careful consideration of the cultural spheres of influences that shaped who the participants were and what they brought to the reflective process. </p>

In early modern Europe, syphilis tormented individuals regardless of social standing. The various stages of infection rendered individuals with visible chancres or “pocky” marks throughout their body. The tertiary stage signaled the spreading of the disease from the infected parts into the brain and cardiovascular system, eventually leading to dementia and a painful death. Beginning with the initial medical responses to venereal disease in the sixteenth century and throughout the early modern period, medical practitioners attempted to identify the cause of syphilis. During the seventeenth century, English practitioners maintained that women were primarily responsible for both the creation and transmission of syphilis. In England, venereal disease became the physical manifestation of illicit sexual behavior and therefore women with syphilis demonstrated their sexual immorality. Contrastingly, French medical practitioners refrained from placing blame on women for venereal infection. The historiography of early modern discourse on venereal disease fails to account for this discrepancy between English and French perceptions of syphilis in the seventeenth century. This thesis seeks to fill the gap in this historiography and suggest why French practitioners abstained from singling out women as the primary source of venereal infection by suggesting the importance that cultural influences and religious practices had toward shaping medical perceptions. The cultural impact of the querelle des femmes and Catholic practices in France plausibly influenced the better portrayal of women within the medical treatises of seventeenth-century France when compared to Protestant England.

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Purpose: The aim of this project was to evaluate data from a survey sent to nurses in regards to the current practices and workflow of the Early Warning System (EWS) currently in use at Banner Health. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design was used to collect feedback from Registered Nurses. The survey was open between February and March of 2016. Likert style and open-ended questions demonstrate evidence supporting the following study questions: 1) What are the barriers to documentation that triggers the EWS? 2) To what extent is the EWS useful and usable? 3) What were the features of the EWS implementation? Results: Findings demonstrated three barriers associated with EWS protocol compliance to include increased workload (78%), previous negative responses from providers (62%), and alert fatigue (48%). Provider responsiveness to notification of the Early Warning Score was shown to be effective "most of the time" and "about half of the time" at 71%, with 12% indicating "sometimes" and "never". Deployment of the Rapid Response Team (RRT) when indicated by EWS algorithm showed only 9 (14%) of nurses always call the RRT, 7 (11%) call about half the time, and 16% indicated they never use the RRT. "Real time" charting occurred 50-75% or less than 50% of the time for 96% of respondents. Open ended questions support recommendations for future practice to include: implementation of a pop up alert for easy recognition of changes in EWS, tailoring parameters based on individual patient characteristics, automatic direct paging to medical providers, and elimination of the level of consciousness parameter. A validated usability survey provided data with a mean response rate (n=58). Nurses (84%) agree the EWS is useful and usable. Ease of use, efficiency, and comfort with EWS software showed 90% agree. System interface responses demonstrate 23% dislike using the interface, and 21% felt the system interface was unpleasant.Conclusions: Findings demonstrate EWS system usability and usefulness. Recommendations for improvement include implementation of a "pop up" alert for easy recognition of changes in the Early Warning Score and/or automatic direct paging to medical providers and nursing will increase effective use. Barriers to EWS protocol documentation include increased workload, previous negative response from providers, and alert fatigue. "Real time" documentation of physiological parameters is essential to successful triggering of an Early Warning Score.

The purposes of the study were to investigate the association between the variables presented below. / The sample was drawn from fifth and sixth grade girls who attended a developmental research school or a private school in Florida or the public schools in Mississippi. The 58 father-daughter dyads were asked to meet together with the researcher. / School achievement (dependent variable) was measured by grade point average. Independent measures for girls were: self-esteem--measured by the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory; sex role orientation--measured by the Adolescent Sex Role Inventory; dependency--measured by the Children's Dependency Scale; parent perception--measured by the Piety Parent Perception Inventory. / Independent measures for fathers were: self-esteem--measured by the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory; sex role orientation--measured by the Bem Sex Role Inventory; fathers' perception of daughers' self-esteem--measured by the Coopersmith Behavioral Academic Self-Esteem Inventory. / The only difference between the participants due to location appeared to be in the Behavioral Academic Self-Esteem scores (t = 3.127;48). / Nine hypotheses were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. A correlation matrix was constructed and multiple regression was utilized. Alpha was pre-set at .05. / No significant relationships were found between: fathers' and daughters' sex role orientations; fathers' masculinity level and self-esteem; girls' self-esteem and fathers' self-esteem; girls' grade point averages and sex role orientations; grade point averages and girls' dependency levels. / Significant relationships were found between: fathers' femininity level and self-esteem; girls' dependency level and achievement test scores; grade point average and self-esteem; girls' grade point averages and I.Q. Each block of variables made a significant contribution to the prediction of girls' grade point averages. / All of the undifferentiated fathers had undifferentiated daughters except one who had an androgynous daughter. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-02, Section: B, page: 0395. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perspectives of practitioners working with families of young children with disabilities regarding the implementation of family-centered intervention. Fundamental assumptions of family-centered services include family choice and professional responsiveness to the concerns and priorities of families. This changes the nature of traditional family-professional relationships and requires that families and professionals work together as equals in evaluation, decision making, and intervention. / The study examined how practitioners transform the philosophy and principles of family-centered services into practice with families of infants and toddlers with disabilities. The variability in practitioners' individual interpretations of family-centered services was investigated and the impact of practitioners' beliefs, personal development, and personal experiences were considered in relation to their practices with families. Findings indicated that implementation must remain flexible enough to accommodate individual interpretations of the philosophy and must be viewed as an evolving process, both personally and systemically. Implications for policy, for practitioner education, and for further research are provided. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-04, Section: A, page: 0930. / Major Professor: Mary Frances Hanline. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1994.

There is a pattern of students' mathematics achievement scores dropping in the first year of middle school, typically sixth grade in Florida (fldoe.org, 2014). Sixth grade is of particular interest as this is typically a transition year from elementary to middle school. This quantitative study seeks to examine the mathematical teacher characteristics that are present and significant for Teacher Value-Added measures, as a proxy for sixth grade mathematical learning gains. The teacher characteristics that will be evaluated include certification area, degree held, and years of experience. Additionally, the effects of school demographics, specifically socioeconomic status (SES), as measured by the percentage of Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), which determines a districts eligibility for the national free lunch program, on sixth grade student achievement in mathematics will be examined and accounted for when evaluating teacher characteristics. Teachers' Value-Added scores were collected from the Florida Department of Education. The teachers included were those that taught mathematics in a sixth-grade classroom that was NOT in a K-6 or K-8 setting, but a 6-8 or 6-12 setting. Each participating teachers' school CEP status was also gathered from the Florida Department of Education. These results will be compared for all teachers and the following results are anticipated: (1) Schools with lower socioeconomic status (as measured by CEP), higher percentage of CEP (over 40%), will have overall lower teacher Value-Added Scores (VAM) on the Math FSA (Florida Standards Assessment) for the end of sixth grade administration, regardless of teacher characteristics. (2) After accounting for CEP, teachers with higher levels of degrees held (BS vs MS, EdS, or PhD), will have higher teacher VAM scores on the Math FSA for the end of sixth grade administration. (3) After accounting for CEP, teachers with more years of experience will have higher VAM scores on the Math FSA for the end of sixth grade administration. (4) After accounting for CEP, teachers with certification in mathematics will have higher VAM scores on the Math FSA for the end of sixth grade administration. With these results, policy makers, education preparation programs, and school districts can make more informed decisions about the educational preparation that mathematics teachers need to possess in order to teach students during their first year of middle school. / A Dissertation submitted to the School of Teacher Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester 2018. / October 29, 2018. / Florida, sixth-grade mathematics, student achievement, teacher certification, teacher degrees, teacher experience / Includes bibliographical references. / Elizabeth Jakubowski, Professor Directing Dissertation; Eric Chicken, University Representative; Diana Rice, Committee Member; Angela Davis, Committee Member.

The history of people with disabilities has been characterized by a progressive trend toward inclusion in the mainstream of life. During the last three decades, in particular, significant progress has been made toward the societal goals of normalization, deinstitutionalization, and community integration. As a result, the effects of contact with disabled peers on the attitudes of normally developing children has become an important research question. To date, it is a question with no definitive answers. / To approach this question, methods of naturalistic inquiry were used in the context of a case study. The unit of analysis was a child-care center in which young children with and without disabilities were fully integrated on an ongoing basis. The primary informants in the study were the normally developing children, aged 3 through six, enrolled in the center. Participant observation and open-ended interviewing were the primary data collection techniques. Nonparticipant observation and analysis of school records were also used. Upon completion of field study, the data were analyzed and interpreted according to accepted procedures in the naturalistic research tradition. Data consisted of comprehensive field notes and interview transcripts derived from participant observation, formal interviews, and document analysis. / In contrast with many earlier studies of disability attitudes, contact between children with and without disabilities did not result in the development of prejudicial attitudes toward peers with disabilities. The participants expressed early awareness of sensory and physical disabilities, but virtually no awareness of intellectual disabilities. They expressed feelings of tolerance with regard to their peers with disabilities, and their feelings were corroborated by their actions. They named children with disabilities as their "best friends" less often than children without disabilities, but made some friendship choices from among their disabled peers. Negative evaluations of peers were elicited by behaviors that violated social norms, but not by sensory, physical, or intellectual differences. Program characteristics that appear necessary for the success of disability integration were discussed. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 50-08, Section: A, page: 2452. / Major Professor: Pearl E. Tait. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1989.