Special Education Teachers’ Self-Efficacy During the Times of a Global Pandemic

This quantitative dissertation aims to describe and compare the perception of special education teachers\u27 self-efficacy amid the COVID-19 pandemic using the practice of distance and their self-efficacy pre-pandemic using face-to-face instruction and describe the perceived valuable supports teachers received from educational leaders during the pandemic and considered valuable. The study population includes special education teachers teaching in inclusive settings before and during the pandemic in grades 6–12 in districts located in South Texas. The current study\u27s data was analyzed using a two-way factorial analysis of variance, with both factors including repeated measures within subjects (2 x 3). A descriptive statistical analysis was also conducted to show how teachers felt supported and how much they valued the professional development opportunities they got during the COVID-19 pandemic while they were teaching using distance learning. The three hypotheses presented in the study were validated. The results indicated a difference between face-to-face and distance learning modes of instruction. Furthermore, the study found a difference among the self-efficacy domains and interactions between modes of instruction and self-efficacy domains. The outcomes of this dissertation contribute to the limited amount of research conducted in the field of special education teachers\u27 perceptions of their self-efficacy levels while employing distance learning

Improving Trauma Team Process and Performance through Simulation

According to the National Trauma Institute [NTI] (2014), trauma accounts for 41 million United States emergency department visits and 2.3 million hospital admissions. It is the leading cause of death in people age 1-46 years and is the third leading cause of death overall. Doumouras, Keshet, Nathens, Ahmed, and Hicks (2014) reported that errors in trauma resuscitation can be linked to deficiencies in trauma team processes and performance. These deficiencies were found in a level II trauma center in a small Midwestern city. This project was developed to provide evidence-based team training strategies to improve the care of the trauma patient at the facility. Simulation was chosen as the method of instrnction, based on the theoretical framework provided by Bandura\u27s Social Learning Theory and Taimer\u27s Model of Clinical Judgment. A comprehensive literature review was conducted to identify evidence-based strategies for simulation program development. The evidence was presented to the key stakeholders at the facility in order to gain feedback and fmther recommendations for the project. This project directly impacted nursing as it addressed knowledge, skills and attitudes of each of the six core competencies for graduate nurses, as identified by the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses [QSEN] initiative (QSEN, 2014

The Role of Socioeconomic Status on Students' Employment Expectations in South Africa

The influence of students' socioeconomic statuses (SES) on their employment expectations is a largely understudied topic in the context of South Africa. There has additionally been little focus on the extent to which students' SESs affect their willingness to settle for lower earnings and their anticipation of socioeconomic discrimination in the workplace. With South Africa's unique SES makeup, as spurred on by the remnants of apartheid, it is important to investigate the effect that students' SESs may have upon their 1) earnings expectations 2) employment expectations 3) anticipated socioeconomic status discrimination and 4) willingness to settle for lower earnings. Bandura's (1977) Social Cognitive Learning Theory (SCLT) was used to investigate how students' employment expectations differ based on their environments and core self-evaluations. This theory was therefore used to ground and inform this research. In a quantitative, cross-sectional study with a South Africa student sample (N = 346), this study obtained the following results: 1) SES does not significantly predict students' earning expectations and employment expectations over and above the control variables 2) SES significantly predicts students' anticipated socioeconomic status discrimination and willingness to settle for lower earnings 3) core self-evaluation significantly moderates the relationships between socioeconomic status and students' earning expectations as well as between socioeconomic status and willingness to settle for lower earnings 4) core self-evaluation does not significantly moderate the relationships between socioeconomic status and students' employment expectations as well as between socioeconomic status and anticipated socioeconomic status discrimination. This study has important implications for organizational policy concerning the advocation and implementation of work free from discrimination in South Africa. Through this research, organizations may be provided with insight into how individuals' work expectations may differ based on their SESs, potentially leading to the creation of more inclusive policies and practices. Limitations and future recommendations are outlined

Mathematics Self-Efficacy of Community College Students in Developmental Mathematics Courses

Mathematics self-efficacy was defined as an individual\u27s beliefs about how he or she would perform a specific math task or in a specific mathematics or related course. Mathematics self-efficacy was differentiated from self-esteem. Previous literature found self-efficacy in general and mathematics self-efficacy in particular to be significantly related to enrollment, retention, and completion. This study used the Mathematics Self-Efficacy Survey to investigate whether age, gender, developmental mathematics course, or developmental mathematics grade were significantly predictive of mathematics self-efficacy among developmental mathematics students course at a Kentucky community college. Multiple linear regression found that none of these variables were statistically significant predictors of mathematics self-efficacy among respondents. The study discussed the resulting implications and made recommendations for future research and practice

The social self-efficacy of students: a research school of Physical Education and sports at Anadolu University

The social self-efficacy of students: a research school of physical education and sports at Anadolu University. The aim of this study was to investigate social self-efficacy perception of Physical Education and Sports School students at Anadolu University in terms of gender, departments and ages. 274 Anadolu University Physical Education and Sports School students were formed the research universe. Data were collected by means of “Social Self-efficacy Scale” which was originally developed by Smith-Betz (2000) and reorganized by Palancı (2004) in Turkey. The survey consists of two parts. In the first section contains demographic factors. Second part of the questionnaire is to determine social self-efficacy perception of students in the School of Physical Education and Sports at Anadolu University and consisted of 25 items. In the data analysis, “arithmetic mean and standard deviation” for numerical comparisons were used. In order to determine the differences among attitudes, t-test was used for two-way comparisons for independent groups and ANOVA was used in order to compare variables of groups more than two. In the statistical analysis, 0.05 was accepted as the significance level. The results of the analyses indicated that the social self-efficacy perception of students use differentiated according to gender and departments, but didn’t differentiate according to ages