Throughout the past decade, numerous texts have been published which claim to be ideally suited for use in a basic, introductory nonverbal communication course. Many authors state that their text will comprehensively cover all aspects of the field of nonverbal communication. Unfortunately, many of the texts cover only a portion of the concepts which have been deemed as essential for inclusion in a beginning nonverbal communication course. With the plethora of material relating to this topic on the market, there is a need for a comprehensive evaluation form by which an elevator could determine the specific method of layout (manner of organization and construction) as well as the content (nonverbal material) contained in each text under scrutiny. This thesis will examine criteria for evaluating texts in addition to listing the proposed method for constructing a textbook in terms of the order in which the various parts of the work are to be organized. The purpose of the thesis is to: (1) identify the specific nonverbal communication components which are necessary for inclusion in a basic, introductory text, (2) identify the general elements of an effectively constructed nonverbal communication text in terms of (a) Content, and (b) Layout; (3) identify the specific nonverbal components which must be included in a comprehensive nonverbal communication text; (4) determine which text, if any, comes closest to meeting the ideal requirements as determined by the evaluation form. The evaluation form is divided into two parts. Part 1 includes material relating to general textbook construction, organization, and layout. Part 2 contains material relating to the nine components of nonverbal communication.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore pre-medical advisors’ perceptions on their role in the pathway to medicine for students historically underrepresented in medicine (URiM) and to gain insight into barriers these students face. While a small amount of research exists on the perspective of URiM pre-medical students on the pathway to medicine, no analysis has been conducted on the role pre-medical advisors play. The underlying framework of this research study focused on the experience of advisors through the lens of academic advising approaches, self-authorship theory, and capital theory to make a strong collective framework to begin understanding the role of advising in the pathway. Data were gathered through interviews using a non-random purposeful sampling strategy. Study participants were pre-medical advisors at undergraduate institutions in the SAAHP. Participants discussed their role in the pre-medical pathway for URiM students, advising approaches they employ, and their advising experience. Key themes emerged during data analysis. Advisors tend to approach their student encounters as individual experiences but draw from a variety of advising approaches. URiM students experiences a variety of barriers but most frequently encounter financial barriers, academic challenges, and concerns over lack of belonging. Advisors face a variety of challenges in addressing barriers faced by URiM students. Advisors indicated that early intervention for academic support, collaboration with others tangential to the process, and more visibility for URiM students were approaches that would help retain URiM students on the path to medicine. There is perceived value in utilizing the role of pre-medical advisors as a method of support to keep URiM students moving forward as they can both an advocate for their success and help them navigate the challenge of being a pre-medical student.

Given the negative impact of students' challenging behaviors on the learning process, a need exists to gain a more comprehensive understanding of how teachers' beliefs, practices, and knowledge relate to their abilities to effectively manage classroom behaviors. Three-hundred and forty-two (342) public school (PK-12) teachers in a mid-Atlantic state responded to an on-line survey. Data were examined using correlational statistical analysis to measure the relationship between teachers' sense of efficacy (TSE) and use of evidenced-based practices (EBP) in managing students with challenging behaviors, teachers' use of EBP and how they value types/topics of professional development and years of teaching experience. Significant correlations were found between TSE and use of EBP. Moderate correlations were indicated between use of EBP and type or topic of professional development. Years of experience did not correlate significantly with use of EBP in managing students with challenging behaviors. A significant difference was found between special and general educators' use of EBP, with special educators reporting a higher use of EBP. Results inform educators as to what teachers need in order to increase the use of EBP in an effort to effectively manage students with challenging behaviors. Research indicates TSE is enhanced and student outcomes improve.;Keywords: challenging behaviors, classroom management, evidence-based practices, positive behavior supports, professional development, student discipline, students with disabilities, teacher belief, teacher efficacy, teacher preparation, public schools.

This study investigated the effect of inquiry-based instruction in technical undergraduate education. Specifically, the effect was measured along two dimensions: 1) the effect on student learning and, 2) student attitude towards subject matter. The researcher designed an inquiry-based instructional approach to encourage interaction between teacher and students and to help students take more responsibility for their learning. Three technical undergraduate classes participated in the study. Each class was divided into experimental and control groups. For the experimental group, a twice-a-week traditional lecture was replaced with a once-a-week inquiry-based question and answer session. Students in the control group were taught as normal, by a traditional style lecture. Students in the experimental group were expected to use the extra hour, gained by meeting only once once-a-week, to study and prepare. Both groups were administered pre- and post- tests to determine the learning that took place during the experimental intervention. Pre- and post- surveys were also administered to assess the effect of the inquiry-based instruction on student attitude. Additionally, scores from student exams, professor surveys, and researcher observations were used to collect data and understand the effect of the instructional approach. The findings suggest that inquiry-based learning in technical classes can have a positive effect on learning and attitude.

In the past two decades, there has been an increased demand for more innovative individuals and organizations. In response to this need, a number of groups have begun to teach innovation courses to improve people's innovation skills. While many of these groups report success in helping people become more innovative, there is no way to test the effectiveness of the innovation courses. This study describes the development and initial validation of an innovation test instrument. It demonstrates how the author identified the content domain of the test and created test items. Then it describes initial validation testing of the instrument. This study found that this assessment is a good first step in creating an innovation assessment that covers more of the full process of innovation than previous tests. It still needs further validation and improvement to make strong claims about its ability to determine the effectiveness of an innovation course.

This design-based research study explored whether Sense of Community was maintained while flexibility in the course was increased through an adoption of a unique blended learning model. Data collected in this study show a significant drop in the sense of connectedness score from a mean of 50.8 out of 66 to a mean of 39.68 in the first iteration. The score then began to gradually increase, reaching 50.65 in the third iteration. Results indicate that transitioning to a blended learning environment may be a suitable option to increase flexibility while maintaining a Sense of Community in a project-based course. Future research into specific aspects of course design such as maturity of design, age-level of participants, and context would further develop understanding in this area.

The idea of the “flipped classroom” is a relatively new concept in education that has become increasingly popular. Instructors who flip their classrooms reverse the roles of school work and homework by recording video lectures for students to watch before coming to class. Students then work on their homework in the classroom while the instructor is present to help them. Very little research has been done on the effectiveness of the flipped classroom to determine if students can perform better on exams by learning in a flipped classroom environment, especially for high school demographics. The purpose of this research is to add to the body of knowledge and help provide data to investigate how well students learn physics content by using the flipped classroom in a high school physics class and identify students' attitudes towards the flipped classroom. Seven periods of Physics with Technology at Lone Peak High School in Highland, UT were used in this study. Three of the classes were randomly assigned to be “flipped” while the other four were taught using what is considered a “traditional” method of instruction of physics, which is based on a guided inquiry method. The pacing and content was matched each day and all classes participated in the same labs, homework, quizzes and tests. The defining difference is the method which the content is covered. The flipped classes watched video lectures at home to learn the majority of the content, then did what is traditionally known as “homework” in class with the teacher present to help. In this study, it was found that there was no statistically or practically significant difference in mean test scores for the first three units in a high school Physics with Technology class. Student responses on a survey also showed very little statistically different in the students' attitudes towards the classroom environment in either instructional method.

The purpose of this study was to study the effects of increased teacher knowledge of students' individual characteristics on students' religious attitudes and achievement in Seminary. It was based upon the rationale that when teachers have more knowledge of each student's characteristics, they can be more effective in planning for individual needs. One result will be that students' behavior and attitudes will be affected positively because their needs are more fully satisfied and interests more effectively utilized.

This thesis is a study of the development, use and value of a method of teaching the scriptures called Seminary Bowl from its beginning in 1964-65 to the present day.The objective of this study was to determine the extent to which the full-time teachers of the seminary program are using Seminary Bowl and to have teachers and students evaluate this method of teaching the scriptures.The results of this study have shown that both teachers and students alike feel very favorably towards Seminary Bowl as a method of teaching the scriptures. The results also show that although there are many areas where Seminary Bowl can be improved, it is helping to accomplish many objectives of the seminary program.

The purpose of this study was to compare the use of selected official and unofficial Church periodicals by Seminary and Institute personnel of the Church with the objectives and purposes of those periodicals. It was also to determine the relevancy of those periodicals to the department personnel and their students. The magazines studied were: The Improvement Era, The Instructor, Church News, Impact, Brigham Young University Studies, and Dialogue. The most prevalent concern about all religious press in the ninteen-sixties has been their relevance to real life. This study discovered that there was a variety of opinions about the relevance of selected Mormon features to department personnel and their students. President McKay's words, particularly the keynote conference address, received highest ratings and features in Dialogue the lowest. BYU Studies was similarly low except among Institute men. Comparisons between the relevancy ratings given various features by those that read them and those that didn't found only one correlation (from Dialogue magazine) that was significant.