The problem addressed in this study was the lack of a model for technology integration in social work education to meet the needs of graduate social workers in the field. Extant research has focused on the efficacy of online or blended learning, but not on social work educators' technology literacy. The purpose of this study was to explore social work educators' self efficacy related to technology use in curriculum and pedagogy. Digitally immigrant educators, defined as those over the age of 35, were studied since this group struggles in adjustment to technology, commonly used by younger students. The conceptual framework synthesized von Bertalanffy's general systems theory and Bandura's self-efficacy construct to understand the relationship between social work educators and technology. In this concurrent mixed methods and grounded theory study, participants (n = 396) provided quantitative responses about self-efficacy to the Computer Technology Integration Survey and answered additional questions about technology integration in the classroom. Findings from the correlational analysis revealed a model that connects positive self-efficacy to the number of digital tools used in the classroom, technology integration in pedagogy and curriculum, and teaching the concept of a 'digital divide.' Qualitative data from open-ended questions (n = 260) and 4 individual interviews were analyzed by thematic content analysis. Findings included issues that inhibit technology integration: personal motivation, time, and lack of institutional support. This study may contribute to positive social change by proposing a technology integration model for social work educators to use as an innovative strategy for preparing future professionals in the practice of social work.

Reentry programs have been demonstrated to reduce recidivism. These same programs experience high attrition rates that degrade effectiveness and reduce capacity. Recidivism rates are reported as over 77% after 5 years from release which negatively impact society, victims and the released offenders. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to examine recently released offenders' insights regarding attrition from reentry programs to provide program administrators with themes that may be useful in addressing attrition. Social learning theory was used to frame the study. Audio recordings were collected during semistructured interviews with 21 reentry program participants. The recordings were transcribed and organized by stage and individual participant. The data was then coded to develop emergent themes about attrition. The themes were unawareness of reentry programs, inefficient learning processes, and lack of cooperative relationships. The themes that offer insight into the self-reported feelings were optimism turns to frustration when learned skills do not provide the expected outcomes and willingness to inform others about the reentry program. Results may provide reentry program administrators with insights to improve the design and execution of reentry programs to facilitate completion by high-risk offenders, which may lower the risk of recidivism.

Through a grounded theory methodology data collection around early childhood experiences with nature leading towards positive civic engagement with the community, the theory of cultural entropy emerged along with a policy recommendation for reconnecting the community to the local watershed. Through qualitative interviews with lifelong residents and analysis of essays from local high school students comparing early experiences with nature, the theory of cultural entropy emerged to explain how perceptions and interactions with the local landscape changed across generations. With the help of key information interviews, archival research, and exploration of the local watershed, cultural entropy was used to theorize how the work culture should do towards protecting and passing along ecological, cultural, and historical knowledge that might help increase civic engagement. Lifelong residents participating in the research were found to have high levels of civic engagement through participation with the local historical society and/or recommendations from people because of their involvement with the community. More than any other theme, the importance of the Arroyo Grande Creek emerged as a significantly early experience in nature amongst all lifelong residents. In contrast, this experience was completely gone from the early experiences by the high school students participating in this study. Creation of the dam, channelization of the creek, and invasive species introduction have almost eliminated access to the creek, and invasive species introduction have almost eliminated access to the creek. Very little evidence was found along the entire stretch of creek from dam to ocean of kids playing in the creek. This is theorized to be a product of larger cultures from outside this local ecosystem diffusing into the local culture, creating disconnect from local ecosystem knowledge. A policy recommendation is to create an interpretive greenbelt system along an already existing dirt farm road controlled by local agricultural land, promoting community engagement with the local watershed. Because so much of the key ecological, historical, and cultural knowledge of the area centers around the watershed, it is hypothesized that a greenbelt system has potential for reversing cultural entropy, increasing ecological, historical, and cultural knowledge of the area, and promoting civic engagement.

This exploratory qualitative study used grounded theory to investigate the anatomy of educational apps that contain virtual manipulatives. For this study 100 virtual manipulatives within educational apps designed for the iPad were observed by the researcher in order to expand the explanations of and build theory about virtual manipulatives within apps. Affordance theory was used to frame all six phases of the study in which the researcher identified virtual manipulatives situated within educational apps, conducted observer-as-participant structured and unstructured observations, analyzed component data including field notes and memos using open and axial coding, created a conceptual framework, developed an evaluation tool prototype to evaluate virtual manipulatives within educational apps, and used the evaluation tool prototype to evaluate additional virtual manipulatives within educational apps. The constant comparative method of open and axial coding was used to analyze the observation data that included field notes, memos, and video recordings. This indepth qualitative analysis led to the emergence of six study results concerning the components and relationships within educational apps that contain virtual manipulatives. The results revealed that: (1) virtual manipulatives within apps are comprised of two components: dynamic mathematical objects and features; (2) there are three distinct types of dynamic mathematical objects; (3) there are eight categories of features; (4) within one virtual manipulative there can be one or multiple objects; (5) varying relationships can exist among the dynamic object and the features within a virtual manipulative; and (6) varying relationships can exist among the virtual manipulatives within an education app in terms of the number, type, and ways the user proceeds. A conceptual framework was also developed during the study to illustrate the components and relationships that emerged from the analysis and to serve as the basis for the development of an evaluation tool prototype to evaluate educational apps that contain virtual manipulatives. The components, relationships, framework, and evaluation tool prototype developed during this study advance the literature on virtual manipulatives and provide researchers with a common language to evaluate these apps.

Despite multiple national, educational, and industry initiatives, women continue to be underrepresented in the cybersecurity field. Only 11% of cybersecurity professionals, globally, are female. This contributes to the growing overall shortage of workers in the field. This research addressed the significant underrepresentation of females in the cybersecurity workforce. There are many practitioner and industry studies that suggest self-efficacy, discrimination and organizational culture play important roles in the low rate of women in the cybersecurity field. A limited number of scholarly studies identify causal factors; however, there is not a general consensus or framework to explain the problem thoroughly. Moreover, there exists a significant gap in theoretical framework utilizing qualitative methods to demystify the complex factors of engaging females to pursue the cybersecurity field. This study utilized a grounded theory approach to interview twelve female cybersecurity professionals to discover their perceptions of the cybersecurity field. The participants revealed strategies that could encourage females to pursue the cybersecurity field. Data analysis included a data coding process and a constant comparative method of interview transcripts. This study identified four factors of engagement and one unexpected co-factor that are perceived to have an impact on decisions to pursue the cybersecurity field. The four factors identified were awareness, support, intrinsic and extrinsic values. The interesting find of the cybersecurity mindset profile factor that is perceived to enhance the success of career trajectory warrants additional research to discover the impacts on decision to pursue the cybersecurity field. This findings of this research gives women a voice in recommending strategies to encourage other females to pursue the cybersecurity field. The findings also aid in demystifying the complexity of the factors by organizing and categorizing them in a logical sense in order to present a theoretical model to encourage females into the field of cybersecurity. Moreover, this study provides holistic insight to academicians and practitioners in developing future cybersecurity professionals. Additionally, it adds to the body of knowledge by answering the call for that additional qualitative approaches in methodology by bringing data richness and to generate new theoretical frameworks in cybersecurity research.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Educational neuroscience (EN) is a transdisciplinary convergence of neurosciences, education, and psychology that has gained international momentum. Its purpose is to advance the application of neurosciences in P-12 education as a way to improve the design of instructional environments and practices that support the multidimensional social, affective, and cognitive learning needs of students. The potential integration of EN practices into school settings affects educators and school social workers who promote positive school climates and address barriers to learning. Despite the ascension of scholarly discourse proposing the integration of neuroscience knowledge with education practices, a shared conceptual framework remains elusive for the emergent discipline, and the translation of EN into education practices is unexamined. A constructivist grounded theory study was conducted to investigate the emerging conceptualization of EN practices and implications for promoting a positive classroom climate. Data collection included semi-structured interviews with two administrators, three teachers, and 48 students as well as four classroom observations from three different fourth and fifth grade classrooms in a US Midwest city. The data analyses generated a conceptual model that revealed how EN practices unfolded in the classroom to facilitate the co-creation of a positive classroom climate. The data indicated that a humanistic organizational structure facilitated the EN practice implementation, and the teacher’s regulatory state was central to the application process. Five themes emerged that characterized EN practices: teaching neuroanatomy, reflecting on emotions, selfregulating, adapting classroom boundaries, and honoring the whole student. Interactions resulting from these practices aligned with four established climate dimensions: teaching and learning, structure of the learning environment, safety, and relationships. The resulting classroom climate contributed to students’ resiliency, as observed by reduced office referrals, readiness to learn, empowered decision-making, greater empathy, and enhanced social connectedness. Findings from this study support a conceptual model for the application of EN practices in elementary classrooms and align with existing research that suggests positive climates promote healthy development, social-emotional learning, and academic success. The results of this study will inform future translational EN inquiry as well as educators and school social workers who seek to co-create positive classroom climates using transdisciplinary EN practices.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Intraoperative adverse events (IAEs) due to interprofessional miscommunication continue to occur despite implementation of surgical checklists and focused communication trainings. Much of the previous intraoperative communication research has focused on the content and quantity of interprofessional communication instead of its context and quality, and current communication interventions seem to have varying levels of engagement, effectiveness, and persistence. The purpose of this dissertation study was to explore the psychosocial processes involved during the establishment and maintenance of interprofessional communication surrounding IAEs or potential IAEs in the intraoperative environment and to identify the perceived facilitators and barriers to communication. Twenty surgical team members participated in semi-structured interviews and described their experiences with interprofessional communication during IAEs. Grounded theory methodology was used to identify the central process, Testing the Water, and two subprocesses, Reading the Room and Navigating Hierarchy. Testing the Water describes the situational nature of interprofessional communication as surgical team members navigate factors influencing the context and probable trajectories of surgical cases and the perceptions of professional rights and responsibilities within surgical teams. Participants in this study experienced Testing the Water differently based on their professional roles and tenure; findings were organized around three emerging groups identified as inexperienced nurses, experienced nurses, and surgeons. Interprofessional communication surrounding IAEs occurred for study participants in fluid, iterative phases identified as 1) Recognition, 2) Reconnaissance, 3) Rallying, 4) Reaction, and 5) Resolution. Participants recognized IAEs or potential IAEs, gathered information through reconnaissance, rallied other team members, reacted to stabilize patients, and resolved IAEs through individual or surgical team reflection. Study participants reported using strategies during communication to accomplish two psychosocial goals, preserving the flow of surgical cases, and protecting the ‘face’ of themselves and other surgical team members. Supporting these psychosocial goals through increased psychological safety for all surgical team members potentially leads to more effective, timely surgical team communication. More effective interprofessional communication facilitates the improved situational awareness, collective sensemaking, and integrated team mental models that are critical to coordinated responses to IAEs. The findings of this study suggest practical implications to increase the effectiveness of interprofessional communication in the intraoperative environment.

Purpose: To understand the process of discovery and decision-making for adults with the CDH1 marker for hereditary diffuse gastric cancer (HDGC) and inherited breast cancer. Participants and Setting: Purposeful sampling included 20 participants; 17 adults (11 women and 6 men, ages 23–77) recruited through the No Stomach for Cancer organization; six participants were interviewed two times; with three healthcare providers also interviewed. Nineteen interviews were by telephone; one was in person. Methodological Approach: Grounded theory with constant comparison. Findings: The person diagnosed with the genetic marker CDH1 undergoes the decision-making process of Paving the way as they address this healthcare challenge. Paving the way explains the entry points for learning the risk, discerning testing for confirmation, choosing iterative individual cycles of surveillance, surgery, and ongoing adjustments postoperatively while normalizing to live longer. Implications for Nursing: Understanding the process of Paving the way explains and describes the nine key factors for decision-making and predicts the timing for nursing interventions for both post-genetic testing and pre- and postoperative assessment and planning. Knowledge Translation: Advocacy for the self and family is key to Paving the Way. Nursing has an opportunity to develop and expand the roles for navigator and counselor in the area of genetic testing. Patients undergoing PTG have chronic healthcare needs. Family implications for genetic testing require assessment beyond the individual.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(人間健康科学) / 甲第18909号 / 人健博第23号 / 新制||人健||2(附属図書館) / 31860 / 京都大学大学院医学研究科人間健康科学系専攻 / (主査)教授 田村 恵子, 教授 山根 寛, 教授 木原 正博 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Human Health Sciences / Kyoto University / DFAM

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(情報学) / 甲第21398号 / 情博第684号 / 新制||情||118(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院情報学研究科社会情報学専攻 / (主査)准教授 松原 繁夫, 教授 吉川 正俊, 教授 西田 豊明 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Informatics / Kyoto University / DFAM