Thesis (Ph.D.)--Baylor University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 168-171).

Thesis (M.S.)--Springfield College, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available online (PDF file) by a subscription to the set or by purchasing the individual file.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / Bandura (1986,1997) asserts that a group's belief in its members' co-joint abilities, or its collective-efficacy, influences the degree to which that group seeks challenging goals, puts forth effort, and persists in the face of adversity. Group leaders serve important functions in the development of successful groups (Yalom, 1995). Since successful coaches are able to consistently demonstrate the ability to mold a group of individuals into a winning team, it is important to understand what methods coaches employ to develop team confidence. The purpose of this study was to understand how master football coaches develop team confidence. The participants for this interview-based, qualitative study included twenty "master" football coaches (6 professional and 14 collegiate). Criteria for inclusion were as follows: each participant had been a head football coach for at least ten years, and had a consistent record of success. Seventeen of the twenty had achieved success with three or more different teams. The findings reveal that these coaches employ a wealth of psychological strategies in different situations to enhance the development of team confidence. Their selective deployment of these strategies takes place throughout a series of developmental tasks, here described as the "Team Confidence Cycle." This includes seven key tasks: 1. Set the Course, 2. Create a Confidence Environment, 3. Promote Mastery, 4. Get Them to Perform, 5. Assess Performance, 6. Stay the Course and 7. Maintain High Performance. In the interviews the coaches revealed that team confidence was essential to their view of how teams achieve success. The constructs of team confidence and success were considered closely intertwined. Promoting mastery experiences, therefore, was primary among those strategies used by the master coaches to build team confidence. A second key strategy was that they pointed out successful experiences to their team(s). These coaches thus placed the greatest importance on "demonstrating ability" and then ensuring that improvement was noted. These findings are in accordance with Bandura (1997). Implications for coaches, especially of youth sport, are outlined in the final chapter. / 2031-01-01

The initial research questions for this practice-based doctoral research project was to ask, "Is it possible to develop a more confident, self-conscious creative voice able to articulate one's identity more clearly through the making of handmade artefacts?"; this thesis applies the methodologies of autoethnography and pedagogy to consider an answer. My original contribution to knowledge through this enquiry is the identification of the ways in which the exploration of identity through autoethnographic, creative and pedagogic methods encourages an expanded field of self-knowledge, self-confidence and sense of creative self.

Class of 2013 Abstract / Specific Aims: To determine the impact of a capstone course, Pharmacy Practice (PhPr) 811 entitled Advanced Patient Care, on preparing third-year University of Arizona College of Pharmacy (UA COP) Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) students for their advanced pharmacy practice experiences and their future responsibilities as members of interprofessional healthcare teams. Methods: This study used pretest-posttest design. A survey was utilized to assess both the student’s self-confidence and knowledge in managing eight, commonly-encountered acute and chronic disease states. The students’ level of self-confidence in clinically managing patients with the specified disease states was measured using 17 questions on a 5-point Likert-type scale, while their knowledge was assessed using eight multiple-choice questions. Main Results: A total of 83 students participated in the study by completing both the pre- and post-course surveys (87.4% response rate). Following completion of the course, mean confidence score increased significantly to 4.01 (±0.80, p<0.001), while mean knowledge score increased slightly to 6.85 (±1.08). Positive change scores were determined for each self-assessed confidence item (0.90 ± 0.90), which indicated a significant increase in students’ overall level of confidence (p <0.001). On the other hand, the change in knowledge resulted in an overall positive change (0.47 ±1.19), which was not statistically significant (p= 0.47). Conclusion: The Advanced Patient Care course, PhPr 811, positively impacted the students’ self-assessed level of confidence. Even though the level of knowledge did not change significantly due to high baseline level, the students’ confidence level for clinical management increased significantly after participating in the capstone course.

Midwives are often the lead providers of maternity care for women. To provide the variety of care required by women, they need to be confident in their role and practice. To date, only limited evidence exists in relation to confidence as experienced by midwives. This thesis aims to explore the phenomena of confidence through the lived experience of midwives. In particular, this will encompass confidence in the context of the intrapartum care setting. The theoretical basis for the study was hermeneutic phenomenology, guided by the work of Heidegger and Gadamer. Midwives were recruited from three clinical settings to obtain a diversity of views and experiences. Rich data from diaries and in-depth interviews, from twelve participants, provided insight into the phenomena of confidence and the factors midwives encountered that affected their confidence. The phenomena of confidence consisted of a dynamic balance, between the cognitive and affective elements of knowledge, experience and emotion. This balance was fragile and easily lost, leading to a loss of confidence. Confidence was viewed as vital to midwifery practice by the participants of the study; however, maintaining their confidence was often likened to a battle. A number of cultural and contextual factors were identified as affecting confidence within the working environment, including trust, collegial relationships and organisational influences. Midwives also described various coping strategies they utilised to maintain their confidence in the workplace environment. This study provides unique insight into the phenomena of confidence for midwives working in intrapartum care, resulting in a number of recommendations. These highlight the importance of leadership, education and support for midwives in the clinical environment in enabling them to develop and maintain confidence in practice.

Traditional use of the multiple-choice question rewards a student for guessing. This technique encourages rote memorization of questions to pass a lengthy exam, and does not promote comprehensive understanding or subject correlation. This begs the question; do we really want question memorizers to operate the machinery of our industrialized society? In an effort to identify guessing on answers during an exam within a safety-critical aviation pilot training course, a qualitative research study was undertaken that introduced a confidence-based element to the end-of-ground-school exam followed by flight simulator sessions. The research goals were twofold, to clearly identify correct guesses and also provide an evidence-based snapshot of aircraft systems knowledge to be used as a formative study aid for the remainder of the course. Pilot and instructor interviews were conducted to gather perceptions and opinions about the effectiveness of the confidence-based assessment tool. The finding of overall positive interview comments confirmed that the pilots and flight instructors successfully used the confidence-based assessments as intended to identify weak knowledge areas and as aids, or plans, for their remaining study time. The study found that if properly trained and administered—especially through a computer-based medium—a robust confidence-based assessment tool would be minimally-burdensome while offering worthwhile benefits.

Many healthcare providers report not feeling confident when prescribing opioids, which represents an educational gap in the clinical setting that must be addressed to improve patient care and outcomes (Dowell, Haegerich, & Chou, 2016b). Healthcare providers attribute this lack of confidence in opioid prescribing to insufficient training on the tools provided to them to ensure safe prescribing habits. Thus, healthcare providers do not feel confident in managing patients’ chronic pain. A healthcare provider’s time spent with their patient is limited and therefore, needs to be utilized efficiently. In order to achieve effective time management, healthcare providers need to be experts on chronic pain management and self-assured with their practice in relation to opioids. This practice improvement project focused on increasing healthcare providers’ knowledge and confidence when prescribing opioids for chronic pain and managing chronic pain. An educational intervention with health professionals working in federally qualified health centers in North Dakota was implemented via Skype. The intervention allowed healthcare providers to be up-to-date on the most recent evidence-based literature and guidelines regarding this topic. Throughout this practice improvement project, healthcare providers were educated on the latest Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain, provided resources for their clinical practice, and given an opportunity to evaluate their own knowledge and confidence. The implementation of the practice improvement project was comprised of an educational session. To assess the participants’ knowledge, a pre-test was provided prior to the educational session and a post-test was given following the educational session. Furthermore, a self-confidence evaluation survey was administered, which utilized a Likert scale. Lastly, the clinic’s policies and pain agreements related to pain and opioids were reviewed and discussed. The results of the project indicated an overall increase in the participants’ knowledge and self-confidence. In addition, the project promoted awareness of the clinic’s current pain agreement and the likelihood of a future implementation of a policy regarding chronic pain management. The educational session was beneficial in promoting the use of evidence-based research and guidelines in the primary care setting.

Previous research has shown that high fidelity simulation experiences impact the satisfaction and self-confidence of nursing students. The purpose of the study was to examine the student satisfaction and self-confidence in learning of students in the pre-licensure baccalaureate nursing track and the associate to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) track at North Dakota State University. The data was obtained from two different courses in two different semesters of study. The surveys used in the descriptive, comparative study included a tool to collect demographic data and the Student Satisfaction and Self-Confidence in Learning Tool. The data revealed that nursing students were satisfied and self-confident in their learning during simulation experiences. The results will assist nurse educators to recognize the importance of providing nursing students opportunities to care for complex, high-risk patients in a low-stakes setting. Nurse educators can then assist in bridging the gap between classroom and clinical practice.

The hospital-based novice nurse is presented daily with complex patients with multiple coexisting morbidities, which demands increasing responsibility for evidence-based clinical decision-making to prevent adverse health outcomes and associated high health costs. Knowledge and confidence of novice nurses in a medical-surgical unit in the assessment and clinic management of the respiratory system was identified as a gap during onboarding of new nurses. The purpose of this doctoral staff education project was to determine whether a respiratory educational component added to a medical-surgical novice nurse's orientation would impact the respiratory confidence and knowledge of respiratory assessment and clinical management. Benner's nursing theory of novice to expert and Ericsson's theory of deliberate practice were the 2 theories for the project. To assess effectiveness, a 10-item survey was administered to nurses (N = 10) during the first week of orientation and repeated following the educational intervention. Analysis from SPSS 22.0 showed statistically significant improvement differences in confidence and knowledge on all items following the posttest (p < .05), except for confidence levels with nasal cannula/mask use (p = .151). The strongest item-correlation was between knowledge management of respiratory deterioration and knowledge of the disease effects on respiratory assessments. Basic respiratory education added to the orientation during onboarding has the potential to improve knowledge and confidence acquisition, clinical decision-making in the clinical assessment and clinical management of respiratory issues. Positive social change in the health of the community and this educational intervention will empower the novice nurses with an additional layer of respiratory education.