Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths around the world. The identification and description of many modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors to CRC has spurred the development of prevention and early detection protocols and recommendations to help reduce CRC incidence and mortality. Measures to manage CRC include diagnostic screenings and lifestyle changes. As rates of screening increase, prevention counseling rates among primary care providers (PCPs) remain low. Barriers to nutrition prevention reported by PCPs are inconsistent across the literature which has led to confusion about the reason for poor nutrition prevention efforts among PCPs. This practice inquiry (PI) addressed the identified practice gap using the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) quality improvement (QI) model. In the "Plan" phase (Chapter 2), a systematic review of the research literature determined existing nutrition recommendations for CRCs and barriers to implementation by PCPs. Development of several nutrition recommendations for fiber, vitamin D, alcohol, red and processed meats intakes, and dietary patterns were outlined for PCP use in practice. Barriers to nutrition prevention implementation were identified as time, reimbursement, knowledge, and health literacy. To augment findings from the literature, a provider survey was completed (Chapters 3-4). Barriers identified by the participants (n=47) include lack of time, education materials, nutrition knowledge, low health literacy, and lack of patient interest. These findings indicate that several changes are needed to improve the use of CRC prevention guidelines, including additional education and education materials, changes in office policy and additional research to create and analyze the interventions recommended to improve existing nutrition prevention counseling for CRC.

Reading problems are the most frequent referring reasons for special education evaluations. Recent changes in the law have implications for the changing role of the school psychologist, specifically the evaluation and identification of students with reading disabilities. Traditionally, the assessment of children with suspected reading disabilities has focused on the presence of an aptitude/achievement discrepancy in which general intellectual ability is significantly higher than reading skills. IDEA 2004 introduced a second model, Response to Intervention (RTI), in which children with a reading disability may be identified through a set of curriculum-based measures and progress monitoring data.In light of the broadening evaluation processes, the present study was designed to examine the relationship between school psychologists' attitudes and assessment practices in the identification of students suspected of reading disabilities. In addition, the study examined whether there were significant attitudes and practice differences related to school psychologists' prior teaching experience, gender status, number of years in practice, certification, grade of service delivery, professional credentials, and ethnicity. Finally, the study examined the variability in their practices for evaluating children with reading disabilities. The present study replicated and expanded the work (survey) of Nelson and Machek (2007) and Fish and Margolis (1988).Data were collected from 81 members of the Arizona Association of School Psychologists (AASP). Each participant completed a survey, which was made up of 30 items, regarding perceptions and practices psychologists use in the evaluation of students with reading difficulties using a 5-point Likert scale. Results indicated a relationship between attitudes and current practices suggesting that school psychologists' practices are compatible with their attitudes. In addition, the most remarkable correlations were observed in regard to school psychologists' attitudes that in order to identify children with a reading disability, school psychologists need to include measures of intelligence and cognitive processing, even within an RTI framework. In regard to the variability of assessment practices, school psychologists' practices for evaluating children with reading disabilities were similar.Implications from this study indicated the need for school psychologists to have a broad working knowledge of the evaluation requirements to identify children with reading disabilities beyond the aptitude/achievement model.

The connection between teacher practices and efficacy beliefs and the connection between teacher practices and professional development has been explored empirically (Allinder, 1994; Boardman & Woodruff, 2004; Cohen & Hill, 2001). However, there is a need to examine how mentoring and professional development opportunities for novice teachers function in relation to their efficacy beliefs and teaching practices. This study contributes to the novice teacher literature by examining the interrelations among these constructs. Data for this study were collected from 81 first-year teachers across seven school districts. Data were collected during the fall, winter, and spring using a classroom observation rubric, interviews, and a survey measure. Data were analyzed to look for relationships among teachers' perceptions of their mentoring and professional development experiences, actual classroom practices, and their efficacy beliefs. Results indicated considerable differences in mentoring for teachers in K-2, 3-5, and 6-8; they also indicated grade-level trends on the focus of professional development activities. Findings suggest the stability of teacher efficacy beliefs across the school year. For some districts, there appeared to be a relationship between efficacy scores and the frequency with which teachers reported meeting with their mentors. Lastly, findings suggest that mentors and professional development play important roles at the beginning of the school year. Results also suggest a relationship between teaching practices at the beginning of the school year and efficacy beliefs at the end of the school year for some teachers and districts.

Historical accounts of mortuary display during the 19th-century and evidence from archaeological investigations at historic cemeteries can contribute substantially to our understanding of related chronological and social-status issues. An inadequate understanding of mortuary practice in Texas circa 1821 to 1870 frustrates assessment of site chronology and status-related interpretations. While there are numerous studies of individual cemeteries, there is, as of yet, no synthesis of historical and archaeological data pertaining to mortuary practices in early Texas. In response to this deficiency, this thesis provides a synthesis of mortuary practices and the availability of related paraphernalia in Texas circa 1821-1870. Data from numerous cemeteries are compiled to establish a chronology for mortuary practices and to develop a seriation of select burial furnishings as an aid in assessing status-related variation in mortuary display. Results of the study, as gleaned from archival and archaeological data, indicate that mortuary display in mid-19th-century Texas is not so much a proxy of wealth, as it is a measure of popular cultural trends and economic contexts. These findings are used to reassess cemetery chronologies and status indices, including several interments at Matagorda Cemetery (1835-present), which serve as case studies.

In this compendium, we hope to continue the efforts of Bates (2000) and others who have convincingly argued the need for institutional strategic planning and adoption of best practices in learning technology management as institutions transform themselves in the new millennium. We offer here a snapshot of contemporary best practices in learning technology planning and management, based on case studies from leading higher educational institutions in Canada, the United States, Australia and Spain. While we make no claim to completeness, it is our hope that this collection and the associated resources we note will be of interest to key decision makers in the academic communities of universities and colleges, including heads of departments, deans, vice presidents, and presidents. It is also aimed at faculty members concerned with teaching and learning policies and practices.

The purpose of this study was two-fold: (a) to identify, in a large representative sample of Canadian children, the age-related trajectories of overweight and obesity from toddlerhood into childhood and (b) to investigate the associations between these trajectories and children’s temperaments, their parents’ parenting practices and their interactions. Potentially important familial characteristics (i.e., the parents’ or surrogates’ age, income level, and educational attainment) were considered in the models. The sample for this study was drawn from the Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY). Group-based mixture modeling analyses were conducted to identify the number and types of distinct trajectories in the development of obesity (i.e., to explicate the developmental processes in the variability of childhood obesity) in a representative sample of children who were between 24 to 35 months of age, at baseline, and followed biennially over a 6-year span. Discriminant analysis was conducted to assess the theoretical notion of goodness-of-fit between parenting practices and children’s temperament, and their association with membership in the BMI trajectory groups. The results of the group-based modeling established three different BMI trajectories for the boys, namely: stable-normal BMI, transient-high BMI, and j-curve obesity. The analyses revealed four different trajectories of BMI change for the girls: stable-normal BMI, early-declining BMI, late-declining BMI, and accelerating rise to obesity. The multivariate analysis revealed that the combined predictors of the obesity trajectories of the girls (group membership) included having a fussy temperament, ineffective parenting, and parents’ educational attainment. Predictors of the boys’ obesity trajectory (group membership) included household income, parental education, and effective parenting practices. Understanding the different ways in which a child may develop obesity will allow nurses and other health professionals to take different approaches in the assessment, intervention and evaluation of obesity and obesity-related health problems. The results of this study further our understanding of factors associated with the development of obesity at a young age and hence may inform the development of early preventive programs.

A discussion paper on the future of the UBC Library in the emerging eLibrary environment was prepared by the UBC Library's eLibrary Discussion Paper Working Group.

Prosocial behaviour is an important building block of children's future social relationships and overall life achievement. The purpose of this study is to increase our knowledge of how various social pathways influence the developmental trajectories of prosocial behaviour in children between the age of 4 and 11. Conceptually, this study rests on the family stress model and its mediating effects, augmented by parental perceptions of neighbourhood social relationships moderating those family pathways. Research is conducted using data from Statistics Canada's National Longitudinal Survey on Children and Youth (NLSCY), and latent growth models (LGM) in four parenting domains: positive interaction, effectiveness, consistency, and rationality. The study supports the hypothesis that family pathways, such as parental depression, family dysfunction, and parenting practices, mediate the relationship between family SES and children's prosocial development. Study findings also demonstrate the important direct effect sizes of all parenting practices on children's prosocial growth. Results suggest that the magnitude of the direct effects of parenting practices on prosocial behaviour, which are non-negligible and positive, are to a great extent negatively affected by the variables defined in the family stress model. Moreover, this research provides new insights about the types of moderation, and the focus of these moderating effects on the family stress model. Thus, findings support the hypothesis that parents' perceptions of neighbourhood cohesion and social support mitigate one or more family pathways more proximal to the child. Overall, this research study contributes in a distinctive manner to the current literature on children's prosocial behaviour development.

Eutrophic conditions caused Severn Sound to be listed as an Area of Concern in the 1980’s, it was then delisted in 2002 after implementing a number of agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs). The focus of this research is to evaluate BMP effectiveness on a watershed scale using both monitoring and modelling. The monitoring data clearly shows that the BMPs significantly reduced the sediment loadings. It also showed that BMPs affect only the intercept and not the slope of the sediment rating curves meaning that BMPs reduce sediment loadings in a linear fashion and at a constant percentage for all sizes of storms. The literature review and associated BMP reduction factors used to model the applied BMPs clearly show that observed and predicted reductions in sediment were experienced and that the model is validated for use on a watershed scale for BMP implementation. The results from this research will further the understanding of how sediment transport curves are affected by Best Management Practices. / Chapter 1 defines the problem and scope of the research study to be examined in this thesis. The literature review presents the current state of knowledge related to the effectiveness of BMPs, sampling techniques, and the use of sediment transport curves, and watershed modelling as a tool to evaluate the use of BMPs. Chapter 3 explains the goals and objectives as well as the study area for this research. Outlined in Chapter 4 are the standard methods used for water quality monitoring and setting-up and calibrating a watershed model. Research results are presented in Chapter 5 and include measured streamflow and water quality results for the respective rivers along with results from watershed modelling. The results section also reflects on the implications for BMP effectiveness and areas of future research. Chapter 6 concludes with a summary of the new information gained from this research and the success of Severn Sound in leading the way in improved use of BMPs for a healthier watershed. / Severn Sound Environmental Association, Greenland International Consulting Ltd., University of Guelph School of Engineering

Adult English literacy learners (ELLs) are learners with limited or no formal schooling in their first language who are learning to read and write in English. At present, the limited research surrounding adult ELL instruction does not fully investigate the literacies that learners make use of outside of the classroom in a Canadian context. Through the lens of the New Literacy Studies, this case study examines the variety of print-literacy practices that adult ELLs engage with inside and outside of the classroom, highlights the value of these literacy practices, and emphasizes the importance of connecting out-of-class literacy practices with those occurring in the classroom. Additionally, this study uses learner perspectives to describe out-of-class literacy practices and provides a platform for adult ELLs to discuss their in-class preferences. The findings indicate the necessity of acknowledging prior experiences of ELLs in the classroom and provide implications for in-class instruction and resettlement agencies.