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Browsing by Subject "Education, Work/Community/Family Education"

Now showing 1 - 15 of 15
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    Certified registered nurse anesthetists' professional recertification process: a grounded theory.
    (2011-06) Marienau, Mary E. Shirk
    This qualitative study was designed to develop a grounded theory that would provide an understanding of what certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) and their colleagues value and expect from the nurse anesthesia profession's recertification process. The grounded theory was based on analysis of the data obtained from a total of 27 CRNAs during four face-to-face focus group sessions. Analysis of the data from mailed surveys completed by 21 CRNA associates also contributed to the grounded theory. Rank order scaling of the survey activities identified three recertification activities CRNA associates felt would provide assurance of CRNA competency: (1) Hands-on simulation testing, (2) continuing medical education (e.g., interactive workshops), and (3) written exams. Focus group participants indicated that hands-on simulation experience and testing provided the most assurance of CRNA competency. Analysis of the focus group and survey data resulted in themes, which established that a recertification process fostering a commitment to professional lifelong learning and providing an assurance of CRNA competency was needed. The resultant grounded theory, based on voices from within the nurse anesthesia profession, supports the development of a systematic view of the profession's recertification process. The grounded theory can inform the nurse anesthesia profession as it seeks to develop a recertification process that assures CRNAs' competency. It provides direction for the profession and aids in the determination of future actions which would assure CRNA competency. The presentation of the theory in three distinct formats using narrative statement, table, and visual illustration provides the foundation for a strong competency-based recertification design for the nurse anesthetist profession. The grounded theory may also provide direction for other medical specialties and non-medical professions (e.g., legal, business, and education) as they look towards providing needed assurances of competency to the public, patients, clients, students, and governmental regulatory agencies.
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    CTE teachers’ perspectives on the process of CTE and science content integration: a grounded theory.
    (2011-10) Spindler, Matthew Kenneth
    The integration of career and technical education (CTE) and academic curricular content that capitalizes on natural and inherent connections represents a challenge for CTE professionals. The research question that was used to guide the current study was: What are CTE teachers' perspectives of and experiences with the process of CTE and science content integration? And more specifically, to generate a grounded theory which explicates the process of CTE and science content integration from the perspective of CTE teachers. The CTE teachers expressed that the process of CTE and science content integration was a process of evolutionizing. From the perspective of the CTE teachers involved integrating CTE and science content resulted in their programs of study being adapted into something different than they were before the process of integration was begun. The CTE teachers revealed that the evolutions in their programs of study and themselves were associated with three other categories within the grounded theory: (a) connecting; (b) enacting; and (c) futuring. The process of CTE and science content integration represents a deep and complex episode for CTE teachers. The process of CTE and science content integration requires connecting to others, putting ideas into action, and an orienting towards the future.
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    The decision to pursue postsecondary education for women who hold GED credentials.
    (2011-11) Goff, Emily L.
    Although they are increasing in absolute and relative numbers among degree seekers, few adult women GED holders successfully complete 4-year degrees. In order to develop a more complete picture of the postsecondary education experiences of adult women GED holders who seek 4-year degrees, an understanding of the experience of deciding to pursue a 4-year degree is needed. This research studied the experience of deciding to pursue postsecondary education for adult women GED holders entering postsecondary education for the first time later in life. The guiding questions were: Why do adult women who earned their GED credentials choose to pursue postsecondary education? What is the process of choosing to engage in postsecondary education for female GED holders? Descriptive case study interviews with seven women who held GED credentials and who had completed at least one year of study were used to develop a Grounded Theory of the decision to pursue postsecondary education. The salient themes that emerged from this research were: self-efficacy, life change, external support, aspiration and opportunity, short-term goals, and information seeking. Situating these findings into a visual Grounded Theory model provided the framework for a model of the decision to pursue postsecondary education for women with GED credentials. The findings indicate that successful interventions for increasing the number of women who choose to pursue postsecondary education after attaining GED credentials include strategic outreach during life-changing events and the use of stackable credentials at every level of postsecondary education.
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    Effects of high-fidelity human patient simulation on self-efficacy, motivation and learning of first semester associate degree nursing students.
    (2009-06) Kuznar, Kathleen A.
    One of the newest methodologies in nursing education is high-fidelity human patient simulation (HPS). Many nursing educators have embraced the method as it offers a strategy to facilitate cognitive, affective, and psychomotor outcomes. Despite their popularity, however, HPS systems are costly and, in an era of cost containment and tuition increases, research must be employed to determine its effectiveness and guide its utilization. The purpose of this study is to determine how associate degree nursing students' self-efficacy, motivation, and learning in the simulated environment compare to nursing educational experiences without simulation. The mixed-method, quasi-experimental design was chosen for the study with a sample of first-semester associate degree nursing students at 2 technical colleges, 54 in the experimental group and 30 in the comparison group. Results indicated measures of self-efficacy and motivation increased throughout the semester for both groups. The simulation group had a statistically significant increase in general self-efficacy but no significant increase in nursing-specific academic and clinical self-efficacy. In contrast, the comparison groups had a significant increase in nursing academic self-efficacy but not in clinical or more general self-efficacy. Motivation measures were relatively consistent between the groups with only the measure of extrinsic motivation declining for the experimental group. When comparing the two groups on differences between pretest and posttest measures of self-efficacy and motivation, there were no significant differences. The experimental group scored significantly higher on the posttest knowledge examination. Results of interviews (n = 16) revealed specific themes, some unique to the simulation group and some common to members of both groups. The simulation students reported the importance of comprehensive skill practice, risk-free practice, group participation, and debriefing and instructor feedback. They were often able to identify a specific learning experience in the simulation lab that had impact on their practice. Technical skill knowledge was highly important for both groups. Students in both groups related the importance of a variety of courses in the first semester curriculum as increasing their nursing knowledge, self-efficacy and motivation. Simulation was found to be an acceptable learning strategy for novice associate degree nursing students.
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    Engineering problem finding in high school students.
    (2009-06) Franske, Benjamin James
    The purpose of this study was to explore the engineering problem finding ability of high school students at three high schools in Minnesota. Students at each of the three schools had differing backgrounds including pre-engineering coursework, traditional technology education coursework and advanced science coursework. Students were asked to find problems in two different engineering scenarios which were presented to them on a paper and pencil instrument. Responses were scored by a panel of judges based on measures of creativity (flexibility, fluency, originality and elaborateness) and analyzed based on demographic data including gender, prior coursework and school. In addition student responses were categorized and evaluated qualitatively based on school and gender of respondent. Quantitative results indicate that the most consistent predictor of creativity in engineering problem finding scenarios was the number of advanced science classes. Specific measures of creativity included other significant predictors but advanced science coursework was the most consistent across all measures and scenarios. The qualitative results showed striking differences in the responses from students at different schools. Students from schools with a pre-engineering and advanced science emphasis found similar categories of problems and had a similar view of the purview of engineers while students with a technology education background focused on a rather different set of problems and had a much narrower view of engineering. Results show clear differences in the types of problems found by students at these three high schools as well as their understanding of the scope of engineering problems. Educators need to become more aware of the importance of problem finding in engineering and better encourage the development of problem finding skills among their students. Specifically, technology education teachers may need supplemental professional development related to the scope of engineering and engineering problem finding as well as how these concepts might be infused into their curriculum and encouraged among their students.
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    An examination of the impact of non-formal and informal learning on adult environmental knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors.
    (2010-01) Digby, Cynthia Louise Barrett
    The purpose of this research is to consider the environmental knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors, of adults in Minnesota, and possible factors that influence environmental literacy. Specifically, this study is designed to: (1) measure the environmental literacy of Minnesota adults, (2) explore possible relationships between Minnesota adults' environmental literacy variables and their demographic, non-formal and informal learning, and (3) determine the relative contribution of demographic and learning variables for predicting environmental knowledge, attitudes and behaviors. This research was accomplished by conducting a secondary data analysis of The Third Minnesota Report Card on Environmental Literacy: A Survey of Adult Environmental Knowledge, Attitudes and Behavior (Murphy & Olson, 2008). Phone interviews were completed between August and November 2007 with one thousand adults throughout Minnesota. Findings indicated that for age, education, and income, there was a weak positive relationship with environmental knowledge, attitude and behavior scores. There was a significant effect for gender and environmental knowledge scores, with males receiving higher environmental knowledge scores than females. There was a significant effect for gender and environmental attitudes, and behavior scores as well, with females receiving slightly higher environmental attitude and behavior scores than males. After controlling for the effects of demographic variables on environmental knowledge, attitudes and behaviors, non-formal learning participation appears to be a moderate contributor to both environmental knowledge and environmental behaviors. After controlling for the effects of demographic variables on environmental knowledge, attitudes and behaviors, informal learning participation appears to be a slight contributor to environmental attitudes, and a moderate contributor to environmental knowledge and behaviors. Overall, the results of this study suggest that participation in non-formal and informal education venues improved environmental knowledge, attitude and behavior models, providing evidence for the value and need for non-formal and informal environmental adult education venues.
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    The Experience of care-giving for a person with Parkinson’s Disease.
    (2010-05) Bogard, Connie Lynn
    As the population continues to become more aged and at risk for chronic illness, there will be a growing need for caregivers. Caregivers to persons with Parkinson's disease (PD) face the challenge of providing care over many years due to the chronic progressive nature of this neurological disorder. The purpose of this study was to understand and discover the multi-dimensional cognitive, affective and psychomotor capabilities and attributes of informal care-giving for individuals with PD. The research question was: What is the meaning of the caring experience from the perspective of the informal caregiver in the day-to-day interactions with the person with PD? This phenomenological investigation looks into the lives of 13 caregivers who perceived that they were in a caring relationship with a person diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Caregivers participated in two in-depth, open ended interview sessions that were audiotaped and then transcribed verbatim for analysis. Three themes emerged from the analysis: (a) Care-giving is an unplanned journey; (b) I am living with the disease too; and (c) My relationshiop with the person I care for and others is changing. Subthemes for each were described. The findings suggested implications for clinical practice and future research. First, caregivers should be provided formal guidance and educational opportunities from health care providers over the course of the disease process. Second, caregivers and persons with PD should be viewed from a holistic perspective to ensure optimal care for the person with PD and support for the caregiver. Third, a multidisciplinary collaborative team approach should be used to facilitate communication across disciplines with the management of PD. Fourth, caregivers should be provided opportunity and connections with support groups. Fifth, caregiver health and wellness should be optimized over the course of the disease process to keep the caregiver-care recipient relationship intact and strong. Sixth, caregiver vigilance and concern for safety should be fostered and evaluated. Seventh, caregiver stressors and protective factors should be identified and appropriate internventions instigated.
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    Experiences of Followers in the development of the leader-follower relationship in long-term health care: a phenomenological study.
    (2010-07) Lucia, David
    This descriptive phenomenological study explored the perceptions and experiences of followers in the development of the leader-follower relationship, within a long-term health care environment. This study is also framed within the disciplinary context of human resource development (HRD). This study addressed the research question, “During your first year of employment, what has the experience of getting to know your supervisor been like?” This broad question was intended to allow participants to engage their own mental models of who they relate to as their supervisor and what the process of getting to know them has been like. The methodology of the study utilized one-to-one in-depth phenomenological interviews for data collection. The participants were 13 Certified Nursing Assistants from six different long-term health care facilities employed with Golden Living organization between six months and one year. The study utilized an approach to data collection and analysis developed by Giorgi (1997) that employed five basic qualitative steps: 1) collecting verbal data, 2) reading the data, 3) breaking the data in to parts, 4) organizing and expressing the data from a disciplinary perspective, and 5) synthesizing and summarizing the data. The data analysis revealed five significant themes of meaning: (1) Direct contact and assistance are important; (2) Supervisors treat us differently based on certain follower behaviors; (3) Personal conversation is important: (4) Follower competence affects relationships; and (5) ED/DNS leader-follower relationships are primarily transactional and often intimidating for CNAs. The interrelationships among these meanings are then presented as an integrated description of the essential structure of the meaning of this experience for CNAs. Because this study is framed within a disciplinary context of human resource development, there is an implied theory-to-practice stance. The HRD disciplinary context of this study proposes a framework for sharing and synthesizing this information to leaders so they may appropriate the findings in a personal way as part of their own developmental process. Transformational learning theory in the cognitive-rational model, as developed by Mezirow (1978, 1990, 1991) is considered as useful for synthesizing the transformational development process and phenomenological findings from a study of this nature.
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    Experiences of mothers whose young children engage in challenging behaviors
    (2008-11) Goldsmith, Sherilyn Bone
    The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological research study was to understand the experiences of mothers whose young children engage in challenging behaviors. Challenging behaviors are commonly thought of by professionals as a child’s personal conduct that results in injury to self or others, and/or causes damage to the physical environment, and/or interferes with the acquisition of new skills, and/or socially isolates the child (Doss & Reichle, 1991). Challenging behaviors are considered to be appropriate up until about the age of 3, unless the frequency, intensity, and duration of the behavior exceeds what is developmentally appropriate for a younger child (Needlman et al., 1991; Rapp & Hutchinson, 1987). Many studies cite a correlation between the early onset of challenging behaviors, later deviancy, and criminal behavior, and several studies have documented an increase in the prevalence of challenging behaviors in young children. Given the documented correlation between challenging behaviors and later deviant behaviors, the increasing reported prevalence of these behaviors in U.S. samples, the frequently cited etiology of the behaviors as maternal and parenting issues, and the involvement of parents in parent education as an intervention strategy, it seems appropriate to have a better understanding of parents’ experiences of parenting their young children who engage in challenging behaviors. In this phenomenological study, 10 mothers were interviewed about their experiences of parenting their young children who first engaged in challenging behaviors between the age of 2 and 5 years. Some of the eight themes found revealed that parents are tireless advocates for their children but don’t always know what to do, parents want their concerns to be heard by medical and education professionals, parents don’t cause their children’s challenging behaviors, v parents feel isolated, and all parents of young children who engage in challenging behaviors may not have similar experiences. These findings are discussed in relationship to other research on young children who engage in challenging behaviors, and mothers’ experiences of parenting them. Based on the consistencies and discrepancies between the existing literature and the mothers’ reports in the present study, recommendations include the need for more research to better understand this population of parents, and more training for the professionals who work with them and their children.
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    Mothers' experience of parenting with a former spouse
    (2008-12) Laird, L. Margot
    Continuing to share parenting with a former spouse following divorce, commonly referred to as coparenting, is rapidly becoming a favored custody choice of many families, professionals, and family court systems, affecting the lives of millions of individuals each year. In spite of its rapidly growing popularity, there is still much we do not understand about the nature of the coparenting relationship at the heart of this new parenting arrangement. What we do know is that developing a coparenting relationship that is healthy for all family members is difficult has a profound influence on the well-being of mothers, fathers, and children of divorce, but especially on the well-being of children. Among the many ways a child may be impacted negatively by divorce, research has shown that a negative and conflicted coparent relationship stands alone in its power to do harm to children. It is considered to be the root cause of many adjustment difficulties, producing predictable, direct, and far-reaching consequences throughout the remainder of children's lives. By contrast, a cooperative and supportive relationship between former spouses can minimize divorce's potential harm to children. Using Giorgi's descriptive phenomenological approach, this study seeks to ground our knowledge about parenting with a former spouse in a deep understanding of the experiential meaning of this phenomenon for mothers in their everyday lived worlds. The study explores the experiences of nine mothers who are coparenting with their former spouses. In-depth interviews were designed to draw out pre-reflective descriptions of their everyday experiences with regard to this phenomenon. Analysis of the mothers' naïve descriptions incorporated Giorgi's phenomenological principles, his procedural guidelines, and an incorporated phenomenological research process of my own that evolved during the analysis. The analysis revealed an everyday world characterized by inescapable and relentless threats to mothers' emotional and psychological equilibrium stemming directly from their experiences as coparents. In addition to revealing this unity of experience, the analysis also uncovered individual constituents of meaning and explored each of them at length. The meanings discovered in this study can benefit parents, professionals, and indeed all who are interested in the well-being of children and parents.
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    Organizational performance improvement in higher education student affairs: a phenomenographic study.
    (2011-08) Froehlich, Jill Carrie Menk
    The aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of the experiences of student services staff in a midwestern university during an organizational change: implementation of quality practices and principles. The experiences were captured as they reflected during the interview process. The interview data were organized into 35 concepts from which five themes emerged. The five themes or categories identified in this study were: Experience of Change, Approach to My Work, Changes in Organizational Structure, Employee Morale, and Learning. Universities and institutions of higher education are under great pressure as state and federal budgets get tighter, and funding for higher education is being cut significantly. As administrators and staff look to gain efficiencies and improve outcomes, they will be implementing organizational change. Continual process improvement (CPI) and total quality management (TQM) have evolved since the 1980s, when they were popularized in the United States. Although success cases have been noted (e.g., Baldrige Award winners in Education), the adoption of these practices in education has not been widespread. Recommendations for improvements to the implementation of quality practices and principles in higher education administration settings include understanding the staff perspective of data collection, staffing, and feeling a sense of progress. The predominant paradigm in organizational change is that of episodic change: change is controllable with a distinct beginning and end and that the entire change process can be managed. Another paradigm to be considered and integrated is that of continuous change found in complex, adaptive systems and is organic in nature.
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    The relationships among employee reactions to training, commitment to organizational change, learning, and volunteering behavior.
    (2010-03) Staples, Justin Gregory
    This study explored the relationships between employee reactions to change-related training, commitment to organizational change, learning, and volunteering behavior. To accomplish this, online surveys were used to gather employee perceptions. Measures used were the Affective Commitment to Change Scale developed by Herscovitch and Meyer (2002) and Affective and Cognitive Reaction to Training Scales which were developed for this study based on Alliger, Tannenbaum, Bennett, Traver, and Shotland's (1997) previous conceptualizations. Theories related to attitude formation and change, learning, and organizational change provided a framework for this study and guided the research questions. The sample in this study was comprised of four divisions of a large healthcare organization with approximately 650 independently operating facilities across the United States. Completed data were obtained from 1,091 participants, with a total response rate of approximately 30%. Correlational, factor, and hierarchical regression analyses were employed to assess study scales and relationships among the constructs.Results showed strong correlations between training reaction sub-scales, suggesting conceptual overlap and need for revision. The results of factor analyses provided the best fit for a 2-dimensional model of training reactions. Hierarchical regression analyses showed significant relationships between training reactions, commitment to change, and volunteering behavior.It was concluded that training reactions may serve as leading indicators for employee commitment and behavioral support for an organizational change. In general, this study supports previous theoretical claims that commitment to change is critical to the successful implementation of organizational change. These findings have implications for future research and practice. It is recommended that future research further explore the causal links between reactions, commitment, and volunteering behavior using approaches such as longitudinal methods. Additional research on other antecedents to commitment to change is recommended. Next, although affective and cognitive training reactions are useful concepts, the scale developed for this study needs further refinement. In conclusion, this study suggests that, as the causes and consequences of employee commitment to change are better understood, human resource development (HRD) practitioners and academics will be better equipped to help organizations realize their strategic objectives and help organizational members find greater fulfillment and meaning in the workplace.
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    Self-management patient education and weight loss.
    (2010-11) Stombaugh, Angela M.
    Self-management of a disease is defined as "having or being able to obtain, the skills and resources necessary to best accommodate to the chronic disease and its consequences" (Holman & Lorig, 1992, p. 309). Self-management has been used in the management of several chronic conditions and this model may be useful in the management of weight loss. This research explored the relationships amongst participation in a self-management weight loss program and weight change, patient activation, health distress, and behavioral change. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a self-management weight loss program and provide some insight into factors that may need to be addressed when designing a weight loss program. Participants completed a six-week weight loss program that consisted of three components: exercise, nutrition classes, and self-management classes. Weight, patient activation, health distress and goal setting behaviors were collected at the beginning of the program and at completion of the program. Participation in the program was statistically significant associated for weight loss, change in health distress, and change in patient activation. Although the self-management model has been useful in other chronic diseases, further exploration is needed to understand the role of the model in weight loss programs.
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    Social capital networking and immigrant populations in rural Minnesota : a qualitative research project.
    (2011-02) Laeger-Hagemeister, Mary A.
    Combining social capital theory and immigration history and theory a qualitative study was conducted using a variation of Critical Incident Technique to identify the motivations of individuals in rural communities who championed community responses to the influx of large immigrant populations. Twenty-eight individuals identified as key champions in two rural communities were interviewed to determine, how they as formal or non-formal leaders sanctioned, promoted, supported, and encouraged others to engage in successful strategies to ease successful transitions of new immigrants into their communities. Interviews determined what individual champions did, how they did it, and their sources of motivation. Data analysis revealed three themes: 1) Fear of change in the community; 2) Collaboration as the road to success; 3) Communities and schools recognizing immigrants as key to continued growth. Analysis also revealed two key components influencing leaders to intentionally work with immigrant integration: 1) An understanding of their own immigration history; and 2) a previous experience of caring for or being "the other." These factors helped create the linking networks or weak ties between the host community and the immigrant communities. The findings and recommendations provide insight and recommendations for weaving diversity into community development and leadership programs that business leaders and other stakeholders in rural communities can use. Community leadership programs must be intentional in providing cross-cultural education for participants. The curriculum must include participants deliberating, getting to know their own cultural values, cultural communication patterns, personal and national immigration history, and diverse ways of looking at the world. In addition community leaders need opportunities to learn what it means to be the outsider.
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    Use of test score and interview data in a comparative case study of the influence of donated English language books upon reading fluency and comprehension scores for Tanzanian secondary school students.
    (2009-08) Plonski, Patrick J.
    Research has shown that there is an enormous shortage of text and library books across Africa. Accordingly, millions of donated text and library books have been shipped to Africa by a number of non-profit organizations over the past 20 years through funding provided by public and private organizations. While some research shows that localized textbooks increase student literacy rates, inconclusive data is available regarding the influence of donated English-language books upon student achievement. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of donated English-language text and library books from the United States upon Tanzanian tenth grade student reading fluency and comprehension scores. This study investigated the influence of donated English-language text and library books upon student achievement in reading. Research questions were: (a) what is the influence of donated books upon student achievement in reading fluency and reading comprehension?; and (b) What does developing an understanding of teacher and administrator views of the nature and value of these donated books add to research knowledge and understanding concerning reading achievement? A mixed methods research model was used in a comparative case study in the Dodoma/Singida region of Central Tanzania, East Africa. Pre and posttest reading fluency and comprehension assessments were administered to 78 students at four secondary schools in February 2007 and again in February 2008. Qualitative data was secured through administration of a series of questions by the researcher to 18 teachers and administrators at these same four schools. The results showed students experienced increased English-language reading fluency and comprehension scores when provided with books. The teachers and administrators agreed that the donated text and library books had value through providing a greater world view to students as well as providing data not available due to a shortage of book stock. In addition, the interview data revealed that teachers and administrators believed donated English-language books did not cause cultural harm and served to improve student educational capacity.