The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the impact of differentiated instructional techniques on non-traditional, adult student engagement in an RN-BSN completion program course. Differentiated instructional techniques have been a staple method of teaching in K-12 education for a number of years. Differentiated instruction (DI) is a means of teaching students by considering learning preferences and by offering options for meeting course requirements. Non-traditional, adult learners have varied life experiences as well as learning needs. This study addressed how and why engagement of the adult learner in a nursing course was affected by using common differentiated instructional techniques such as model-building, tiered assignment, and literature circles. The study was conducted using case study method. A purposeful sample of non-traditional, adult learners enrolled in an RN-BSN health promotion nursing course was taken. Data were collected via participant observation and field notes, faculty interview, participant journals, open-ended questionnaires, researcher notes, and focus group transcript. Tiered assignments (blog and family assessment) and literature circle postings were also reviewed. Thematic content analysis (TCA) was employed for data analysis. Five major themes emerged from the data: valuing the student, framing, learning environment, non-traditional teaching techniques, and behaviors of engagement. Each major theme was composed of several subthemes. Subthemes associated with valuing the student included personhood, voice of the student, self awareness, choice, and skills related to Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences. The second theme of framing was connected with the subthemes of making meaning and context. The third theme of learning environment entailed subthemes of safety, freedom, structure, and forced engagement. The fourth theme of non-traditional teaching techniques included “Out-of-the-box” thinking, control over learning, and self-directed learning. The final theme of behaviors of engagement was comprised of subthemes of enjoyment, ownership, accountability, motivation, and creativity. Findings of the study indicated that each of the differentiated instructional techniques had a positive impact on student engagement. The subthemes served to identify specific aspects of the DI techniques that were found to be most beneficial for the non-traditional, adult learner. / Department of Educational Studies

The purpose of this study was to compare the reading achievement of pupils bussed from two predominantly Negro central-city schools to several predominantly white receiving schools, with the reading achievement of a group of pupils remaining in the two predominantly Negro sending schools.ProceduresThe sample of the present study was drawn from the public school system of a midwest city of approximately 200,000 population. The subjects in the study were those pupils who had been enrolled in the third grade in two central-city schools during the 1965-66 school year, and who continued to reside within the school districts served by the two central-city schools through the 1968-69 school year. The bussed group included sixty-one Negro and three white pupils who were transported from the two predominantly Negro schools at the beginning of the fifth grade and through the sixth grade to ten predominantly white schools. The non-bussed group included forty-three Negro and two white pupils who remained in the two predominantly Negro sending schools through the sixth grade. Data on the individuals included in the sample were obtained from the cumulative folders of the students which were on file at the twelve schools involved in the study. Measuring instruments used to collect data were: the Otis Quick Scorinq Mental Ability Tests, which were given at the sixth grade level; the assessment of reading achievement for grade three, four, and five were based on the reading subtest of the Stanford Achievement Test; and the assessment of the reading achievement for grade six which was based on the reading subtest of the SRA Achievement Series. An informal questionnaire, prepared for the purpose of this study to discover the bussed pupils' feelings toward the situation in the receiving school was administered by the author to the bussed pupils in May, 1969.ConclusionsThe following conclusions are based upon the findings secured from the data and within the limitations established for the study.1. One or two years of bussing for pupils at the fifth and sixth grade level has a positive effect on reading achievement scores. This conclusion is based on the finding that the evidence was statistically significant in favor of the bussed group. This significant difference between the bussed and non-bussed group on the basis of reading achievement increased after two years of bussing.2. One or two years of bussing at the fifth and sixth grade levels has a positive effect on pupils' growth toward reading expectancy levels. This conclusion is based on the finding that after one year of bussing the bussed group gained slightly over the non-bussed group. After two years of bussing the difference in favor of the bussed group was statistically significant at the .05 level of confidence.3. Two years of bussing at the fifth and sixth grade levels has little effect on the number of times pupils are above the median of the four discrepancy scores. This conclusion is based on the finding that there was no statistically significant difference between the bussed and non-bussed groups.4. Students' attitudes toward the receiving school do not seem to affect reading achievement. This conclusion is based on the finding that the relationship between the two does not exceed chance.

This current study explored the reading strategies that emerged through the case studies of five sixth-grade students as they read Internet websites. Data was collected from student surveys, field notes, and transcripts of three separate Internet sessions that required participants to think aloud about the reading process as they explored web sites to answer questions. Despite the varying reading abilities of the subjects, upper elementary children use traditional as well as additional reading strategies when they read online articles. Using grounded theory, four reading strategy themes emerged consistently from three different reading sessions: determining importance (DI), matching skills (MS), monitoring understanding (MU), and navigating (N). Through this study, the researcher hoped to provide another snapshot of how the typical students in the upper elementary might read Internet resources which would ultimately allow classroom teachers to focus on the development of those strategies. / Department of Elementary Education

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of formal pre-student teaching experiences on the anxiety level and performance of groups of beginning student teachers in the elementary school.Student teaching has been recognized as a crucial period in the life of a prospective teacher. It is considered a time when theory should be constantly tested by practice and practice should be constantly viewed in the light of theory.Critics of teacher education programs find little evidence of a balance between theoretical and practical experiences in the preparation of teachers.Increasing numbers of colleges and universities are providing prospective student teachers with integrated formal programs specifically designed to offer supervised classroom teaching experiences prior to student teaching. These formal pre-student teaching experiences set the stage for deeper understanding of the teaching role and integration of theory with practice.A total of 257 subjects participated in the study. One-hundred fifty-nine subjects had formal pre-student teaching experiences, and 98 subjects did not have formal pre-student teaching experiences. The subjects were selected from three state-supported universities in Indiana.Two instruments were utilized to measure the constructs of anxiety and performance. The Teaching Anxiety Scale was administered to each student teacher prior to the classroom teaching experience. The Performance Opinionaire was completed by each student teacher's classroom supervisor approximately six weeks through the student teaching period.The data collected were subjected to t-tests in order to determine if there were statistically significant differences between mean scores for both groups on both instruments. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were computed to determine significant correlation between level of anxiety and performance of the two groups.There was evidence that the groups did not differ significantly with regard to anxiety level or performance. Anxiety level did not correlate with performance as measured by the Teaching Anxiety Scale or the Performance Opinionaire.According to this study, the effects of formal pre-student teaching experiences were not apparent in the constructs of anxiety and performance, as measured by the Teaching Anxiety Scale and the Performance Opinionaire. Based on the findings of the study, it appears that other factors not measured in the study are in operation. Recommendations for further research were made.

No description available.

This is a descriptive study undertaken to identify competencies and supporting knowledge and skills in informatics perceived to be necessary by nurses for nurses engaged in clinical practice. This study applied a non-experimental, descriptive research design to a quantitative survey performed through web-based technology. Based upon the foundational work of Staggers, Gassert, and Curran (2001, 2002), the goal was to substantiate with clinical nurses and their direct nurse supervisors the clinical competencies that Staggers' identified for Beginning and Experienced clinical nurses through a Delphi methodology of nursing experts. All study facility Registered Nurses received an e-mail inviting their participation. Respondents logged on to a website and completed sections applicable to their situation; that is Beginning Nurse, Experienced Nurse, or Nurse Supervisor. Reminder emails were sent at two and four weeks after the initial invitation. Respondents who accessed and completed the survey received a $5.00 food coupon redeemable at the hospital facilities. All of the knowledge, attitudes and skills identified were supported as valuable, that is, a mean score greater than neutral. Value ranged from just above neutral to strongly agree. Factor analysis generally supported categorization; however, many items did not load into the anticipated categories. Categorization is one area which deserves further study.

There are about 4000 new hip fracture patients in Taiwan each year, and osteoporosis is the number one cause for these fractures. But, there has been no research article related to osteoporosis preventive behavior among Hakim living in countryside in Taiwan. Therefore, the purposes of this study were to assess osteoporosis preventive behavior; to measure the relationship among factors influencing OPB; to measure a model of factors influencing OPB; and to predict the direct and indirect effects of personal and social factors on OPB among Hakka living in Taichung County in Taiwan. The development of a theoretical model of factors influencing osteoporosis preventive behavior was based on the Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura, 1986, 1997, 2004) and the conceptual framework for addressing the social context of health behavior (Sorensen et al., 2003). According to the reviewed literature, the factors influencing osteoporosis preventive behavior include personal factors (age, educational level, self­ efficacy for calcium intake, self-efficacy for exercise, and knowledge of osteoporosis); and social factors (social support and social capital). The outcome variables are calcium intake and exercise. This was a non-experimental, cross-sectional design. Convenience and snowball sampling were used in this study. In all, 243 participants were recruited. Path analysis was used to assess and modify the theoretical model and to test all the paths between exogenous variables and endogenous variables. The goodness-of-fit indicators ofthe final model showed that X2 was 26.99 with 21 degrees of freedom; the P-value for this model was .17; goodness-of-fit index (GFI) was .98; adjusted goodness-of-fit index (AGFI) was .95; normed fit index (NFI) was .96; non-normed fit index (NNFI) was .98; and comparative fit index (CFI) was .99. The results suggested that the final model fit the data well. The final model demonstrated that the personal factors and environmental factors directly and indirectly influenced osteoporosis preventive behavior. It may provide guidance for the design of future nursing interventions, research and education related to osteoporosis prevention.

Asthma is the most common chronic childhood disease (National Center for Health Statistics, 2004). In Hawaii, 28,600 children (9.7%) currently have asthma (State of Hawaii Department of Health, 2004). This study was designed to expand asthma awareness among freshmen students at a private high school in Hawaii through informative training sessions integrated into the mandatory Physical Education (PE) class and supportive coaching for students with asthma. Of 430 freshmen at the high school study site, 83 had asthma. A pre/posttest quasi-experimental design was utilized to assess enhanced knowledge after the intervention. Nearly 400 part-Hawaiian male and female students, aged 13-15, participated in the asthma training intervention. The study enrolled 270 students. Fifty-six students with asthma participated in the asthma coaching session. Participants with asthma were classified by national guidelines as mild intermittent to moderately severe. All participants completed the Asthma General Knowledge Questionnaire before and after a training session presented in PowerPoint format. Scores were analyzed by paired t-tests. Only students with asthma participated in small group coaching sessions utilizing a PowerPoint presentation specifically tailored for adolescents. These participants completed the Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire before the session, then again three months after the session. Scores were analyzed using paired t­ test and descriptive statistics. Asthma training significantly increased general asthma knowledge scores (p :S 0.001). Although asthma coaching improved the frequency of controller medication for 50% of the students (n=lO), the increase was not statistically significant. Self­ management improvements and quality of life scores differences were also not statistically significant. These results may be due to the small sample size and short study duration. For an adolescent population where the rate of asthma is nearly 20%, providing asthma training to the entire group was demonstrated to be an effective means of increasing asthma awareness. Asthma education offered in a peer group setting demonstrates an innovative intervention modality that is culturally and developmentally sensitive to the adolescent population. Further study is needed over a longer time period to explore avenues to improved self-management skills and enhanced quality of life for adolescents with asthma.

Bibliography: leaves 251-260. / xi, 260 leaves ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / This thesis explores the prison experiences of female and male prisoners. The study aims to record and analyse the ways in which prisoners represent their experiences behind the wall (abstract) / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Social Inquiry, 1999

Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögskolan, 2003.