Class of 2012 Abstract / Specific Aims: To explore whether publishing requirements for human-centered randomized control trials, particularly the CONSORT criteria, have any relationship to impact as measured by the Journal Citation Reports TM Impact Factor. Methods: A worksheet was used to evaluate a methodically selected list of journals, including types of articles published, requirements of authors for human-focused randomized control trials, JCR Impact Factor and other JCR metrics for each specific journal title. A worksheet was filled out for each journal by each member of the research team and answers combined for consensus. Group means and SDs were calculated and the Student’s t-Test applied to values for selected journals. Main Results: 50 candidate pharmacy journals were identified and 41 met the criteria for publishing human-centered randomized control trials. Journals were grouped according to whether they required CONSORT or had other reporting requirements for human RCTs, or had no requirements for such studies. Few (6; 15%) pharmacy journals required authors to use CONSORT; and additional 15 (37%) journals provided as least some author guidelines similar to CONSORT. Pharmacy journals using CONSORT or other guidelines had a higher average impact factor (3.5; SD = 1.5) than did journals without guidelines (2.4; SD = 0.9; p = 0.007). Conclusions: There appears to be a statistical difference in average JCR metrics between journals which require specific RCT guidelines and those which do not. The use of reporting guidelines, such as CONSORT, by pharmacy journals is associated with increased impact as represented by JCR influence measures.

BACKGROUND: Rising rates of maternal morbidity and mortality and persistent disparities in care utilization and outcomes signal a need for new approaches to prenatal care delivery. This study uses perspectives of low-socioeconomic status (SES) pregnant women to generate features of a patient-centered intervention aimed at improving outcomes in high cost, high need pregnant individuals. METHODS: We performed a secondary analysis of qualitative interviews with Medicaid-insured pregnant high and low utilizers of unscheduled obstetric care. Using a grounded theory approach, we tightly mapped themes to generate intervention strategies with potential to improve prenatal care delivery. RESULTS: Three key themes translated into intervention features: social support, care delivery, and access. Unlike low utilizers, high utilizers had a desire for more social support, improved communication in care delivery, and access to timely and efficient appointments. For low utilizers, improved insurance access and the ability to opt out of support services that didn’t align with their priorities were essential. CONCLUSION: High and low utilizers of unscheduled obstetric care have unique ideas for improving their care. Targeted interventions to improve prenatal care can be tested to potentially address unmet needs of vulnerable subgroups of low-SES pregnant women at risk for poor outcomes. / 2019-10-31T00:00:00Z

My overall objective in this dissertation was to develop more integrative perspectives of several aspects of academic motivation. Rarely have researchers and theorists examined a more comprehensive model of academic motivation that pools multiple constructs that interact in a complex and dynamic fashion (Kaplan, Katz, and Flum, 2012; Turner, Christensen, Kackar-Cam, Trucano, and Fulmer, 2014). The more common trend in motivation research and theory has been to identify and explain only a few motivation constructs and their linear relationships rather than examine complex relationships involving 'continuously emerging systems of dynamically interrelated components' (Kaplan et al., 2014, para. 4). In this dissertation, my co-author and I focused on a more integrative perspective of academic motivation by first reviewing varying characterizations of one motivation construct (Manuscript 1) and then empirically testing dynamic interactions among multiple motivation constructs using a person-centered methodological approach (Manuscript 2). Within the first manuscript (Chapter 2), a theoretical review paper, we summarized multiple perspectives of the need for autonomy and similar constructs in academic motivation, primarily autonomy in self-determination theory, autonomy supports, and choice. We provided an integrative review and extrapolated practical teaching implications. We concluded with recommendations for researchers and instructors, including a call for more integrated perspectives of academic motivation and autonomy that focus on complex and dynamic patterns in individuals' motivational beliefs. Within the second manuscript (Chapter 3), we empirically investigated students' motivation in science class as a complex, dynamic, and context-bound phenomenon that incorporates multiple motivation constructs. Following a person-centered approach, we completed cluster analyses of students' perceptions of 5 well-known motivation constructs (autonomy, utility value, expectancy, interest, and caring) in science class to determine whether or not the students grouped into meaningful 'motivation profiles.' 5 stable profiles emerged: (1) low motivation; (2) low value and high support; (3) somewhat high motivation; (4) somewhat high empowerment and values, and high support; and (5) high motivation. As this study serves as a proof of concept, we concluded by describing the 5 clusters. Together, these studies represent a focus on more integrative and person-centered approaches to studying and understanding academic motivation. / Ph. D.

Play is acknowledged as a fundamental need and right of the human experience. However, across the human lifespan is not always valued. Research on play has traditionally been on children, and while some attention is now being paid to older adults, there is little scholarship regarding play in adulthood. This exploratory study examined how early adulthood (25-40 years old) play, the influence playing has on creativity and career performance, and implications for future research on play. The study was completed utilizing traditional and non-traditional research methods with the intent to incorporate the participants' voice and perspectives into a human-centered research design. The end results of this study, demonstrated that early adults engage in a number of play experiences that shape their development and learning as well as influence their creativity and work performance. The use of human-centered research provided participants with the opportunity to individualize data collection, analyze results, and have a voice in the final product.

The purpose of this qualitative interpretive descriptive study was to better understand children’s perceptions of the use of motivational interviewing (MI) as a communication style for childhood obesity treatment. Childhood obesity in the United States has reached epidemic proportions and much research effort has been dedicated to reversing this trend. One approach that has demonstrated positive outcomes in the clinical setting is MI. Leading organizations in pediatric healthcare now recommend MI as a communication style to be used for childhood obesity-related behavior change. Although empiric studies have demonstrated improvement in outcomes when this communication style is used with patients and families, no study to date had looked at MI from the perspective of the child. Thorne’s (2008) framework for interpretive descriptive research was used for this study. Individual interviews with children ages 7 through 13 were conducted in an outpatient weight management clinic that utilizes MI as the primary communication style for facilitating behavior change. Qualitative data analysis was conducted utilizing Thorne’s recommendations for interpretive descriptive research. Five themes emerged from the data: 1) Empowerment, 2) Freedom to be Me, 3) Educating without “Educating”, 4) Unconditional Support, and 5) Blossoming. A conceptual model was developed from the research findings to help clinicians working with children in similar contexts glean a deeper understanding of the use of MI with children. Future research endeavors should focus on the implementation of this model in clinical practice to strengthen the conceptual links and determine applicability to practice.

This paper presents the designing process of Tourist Guiding app on iPhone. This app aims for assisting tourists to schedule their trip plan in detail. The designing process consisted of three phases: research, interface design, user evaluation. In order to focus on user-centered  research, two methods were carried out questionnaire survey, interview with participants. After the research was done, the results of research were analyzed and summarized so that the potential requirements were collected. Those requirements would decide the inclusive features of this app, such as navigation,plan a trip,search for transportation.  Meanwhile, the interfaces of this app were designed on the platform: Photoshop. Lastly, the paper prototype's evaluation was conducted with four participants. The valuable feedbacks was given and the improvements of the interfaces were done.

The project aims at exploring the process of designing recommender systems from a users’ perspective. Recommendations are the systems that can help users navigate in the overload of information, that is currently available online. This project focuses on the recommender network of Strossle, which provides article recommendations across various publishers’ websites. User-centered research has been performed to understand the current system and how that influences the users’ perceived experience. The goal was to develop a more engaging content experience for the Strossle recommendation system. This is done by means of participatory design methods. As people tend to use recommendations very sporadic and they often do not really know what they are looking for. The emphasis was on finding the balance between exploratory browsing and navigating towards the users’ preferences. In order to achieve this, a more dynamic widget has been developed that offers navigation in various related topics.

Since the emergence of RastafarI communities within 1930's Jamaica following the coronation of Ras Tafari Makonnen as Haile Selassie I, Negus (king) of Ethiopia, RastafarI continuously articulate his divinity within their discourse. While the specific nomenclature for and significance of Haile Selassie I may vary in accordance to time and affiliation, it is unquestionable that Selassie I remains central to the RastafarI way of life for more than 70 years. What scholars and thinkers on RastafarI question, and very fervently so during the past 10 years, is the authenticity of the divinity of Selassie I within RastafarI thought. The few scholars who attempt to solve what for them is the "problem of authenticity," claim, through christological and apologistic approaches, that RastafarI need to reconsider the possibility of his status, as it is conjecture and blasphemy. Adhering to African epistemological assumptions that everything in existence comprises the whole of existence, we rely on an African symbolic approach to examine RastafarI conceptualizations of Selassie I within pre-coronation, coronation and post-coronation RastafarI writings. Given that the material reality seemingly degenerates the collective body and consciousness in accordance with the cycles of time as expressed within the most ancient of Kemetic cosmologies, our aim is to suggest that Haile Selassie I emerges as a ba, the soul template, of Asar, a force manifesting as the human ability and potential to exist within the material realm in accordance with the unseen realm of existence. We conclude, unlike previous academic thinkers who examine RastafarI thought, that RastafarI thinking about Haile Selassie I is therefore an authentic perspective, one that undoubtedly occurs in accordance with the structure and origin of the universe and the cyclical journey of Africana reclamation of a primordial consciousness. / African American Studies

<p dir="ltr">The study was conducted to understand teacher’s experience of burnout and its course, in addition to how burnout is related to classroom factors and student experiences. I used a person-centered approach, which accounted for all three burnout dimensions (i.e., emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and low perceived accomplishment), to characterize different patterns of burnout and investigate the various changes of burnout patterns from fall to spring over a school year. I conducted secondary analysis of survey data collected from 52 5th grade teachers and 693 of their students as part of a larger efficacy trial. The study’s results provide evidence that teachers experience burnout in various ways, as characterized by distinct profiles. Additionally, the results extend the existing evidence of teacher burnout stability at the sample level and indicate some degree of within-subject variability from fall to spring. Furthermore, the results add to the existing variable-centered literature on teacher burnout and provide evidence about the relations of teacher burnout patterns to teacher perceived conflict with students, student-reported teacher discipline, and student cognitive engagement. Moreover, the study’s results highlight four limitations in the research on teacher burnout, regarding the application of the three-dimensional model to teachers, appropriateness of burnout subscales and items, reliance on one-time point data, and reliance on survey methods, respectively. For all future interventions designed to address teacher burnout, the study’s person-centered approach to characterizing teacher burnout patterns can provide a useful tool that helps interventions tailor their supports to be responsive to the needs of teachers in specific profiles.</p>

Classrooms, libraries, student unions, and university campuses shape students’ learning experiences. These physical learning spaces set the stage for college student engagement and academic performance. Most of the research about the role of physical spaces in learning lacks the student perspective. The goal of this study was to offer a student-centered vision of ideal learning spaces. Students are the learners for whom learning spaces are designed, and this thesis examines the way students of one summer class at Oklahoma Baptist University conceptualized and interacted with their learning spaces. Data collection included surveys of the students, a focus group with members of the class, participant observation in the classroom, and interviews with students and the professor. Students viewed physical spaces as the backdrop for human action and chose spaces that supported their learning styles and goals. Students described supportive spaces as warm, purposefully crafted spaces, and full of other people who were seriously pursuing the same goals. This thesis explores the ways students conceptualized and interacted with learning spaces as a network of support for their learning and provides recommendations for the design of learning spaces that facilitate this support.