Medical-Surgical Nurses\u27 Attitudes Toward Patients who are Homeless: How Attitudes Develop and Transform

People who are homeless rely heavily on acute health care facilities to meet basic health care needs. Medical-surgical nurses play a fundamental role in the health care and health outcomes of patients who are homeless. According to the Institute of Medicine, health care providers’ bias and stereotyping contribute to health disparities among marginalized and vulnerable populations. Because attitudes are linked to clinical decision making and behaviors, revealing how nurses’ attitudes towards patients who are homeless develop and transform is paramount to improving health disparities of the homeless population. The purpose of this study was to explore nurses’ clinical experiences with patients who are homeless in order to discover how attitudes toward care of the homeless develop and transform. Interpretive phenomenology was used to describe and interpret the experiences of 11 medical-surgical nurses who cared for patients who were homeless and reported their attitudes toward this marginalized population had transformed. Nurses’ clinical experiences ranged from 3 to 40 years. Audiotaped semi-structured interviews were conducted. Data analysis was ongoing throughout data collection as delineated by Diekelmann and Allen (1989) and expanded by Minick (1992). Five themes were revealed through interpretation of the rich data. The themes were ‘Discovering homelessness,’ ‘Finding common ground,’ ‘Piecing it together,’ ‘A daily struggle,’ and ‘Relationships based on distrust.’ Nurses’ attitudes were in constant development and transformation. Nurses’ life and clinical experiences created opportunities for attitude transformations. Experiences associated with attitude transformation were identified. Nurses’ experiences revealed how nurses enter practice with an established attitude toward this marginalized population. As nurses came to realize that homelessness was no longer an abstract, intangible concept rather homelessness existed and was present in their day-to-day nursing practices their attitudes began to transform. Nurses sought common experiences with patients who were homeless to create a sense of connectedness in nurse-patient relationships. Nurses described a daily struggle of maintaining positive, non-judgmental attitudes. Nurses shared how early experiences of negative encounters with patients who were homeless created feelings of distrust thus altering nurse-patient relationships with future patients who were homeless. This study contributes to nursing knowledge by revealing how medical-surgical nurses’ attitudes develop and transform and how experiences are associated with attitude change. Recommendations for nursing practice, education, research are identified

An Examination of the Actions and Strategies Principals Use in Establishing, Fostering, and Sustaining Supportive Relational Conditions (SRC) for Professional Learning Communities in Elementary Schools

The purpose of this hermeneutic, phenomenological study was to investigate the strategies elementary principals use to develop trusting relationships that support a collaborative professional learning community (PLC) culture within their schools. Participants included six public elementary school principals purposefully selected from survey results for face to face interviews. The study was based on Hord and Tobia\u27s (2012) six dimensions of PLCs and focused on the supportive relational conditions dimension as the bond holding the other dimensions together. Interview participants responded to questions regarding five attributes of supportive relational conditions including: Caring relationships; trust and respect; recognitions and celebrations; risk taking; and unified efforts to embed change. Training for PLCs was also a factor for discussion. The principals pointed to modeling behaviors, mutual trust, honesty, their presence and visibility, and extended time and patience for developing relationships as important factors in the sustainability of PLCs. Additionally, the principals’ longevity at their schools emerged as a major influence in developing trusting relationships. Participants also concentrated on the use of student data as an integral component in staff members’ efforts to embed change. The results offer information gleaned from the field about what has been identified as enabling PLC work with regards to supportive relationships. These results hold importance for school leaders, practicing and aspiring principals, and for institutions for school administrator certification to offer strategies and techniques for developing a positive school climate that allows for supportive relational conditions for professional learning communities

Use of a Combination of AHP and ISM for Making an Innovative Rescue Caring Design in Landslide Area

A design concept is proposed for using a combination of two types of decision-making models to determine the design direction. Based on research processes, it is conducted to solve rescue related issues in harsh terrain or landslides, which can often be attributed to the global climate becoming unstable, increasing the frequency of mudflows and landslides, therefore creating more emergencies of this type. ATV vehicles are advantageous for such disasters. In order to discover the needs for ATV’s carrying abilities, five rescue experts were interviewed and three additional experts participated in the AHP process. A stretcher was determined to be the first priority to be mounted on an ATV. Nine higher score items were selected to create a stretcher mechanism from a questionnaire survey in VOA. ISM recognized the main target, with the intention to solve the safety problems (level 2) and the usability issues (level 3) of the proposed stretcher. Finally, a new stretcher structure was designed with a spinal board to be safe and detachable for conveying patients. The stretcher body can also be folded and hung up for easy transporting and even combined with the trunk pack which contains various breathing assistance equipment

Perceptions Of Principal Practices Influencing Organizational Learning And Collective Teacher Efficacy

Disparities in the educational experiences of economically disadvantaged students continue into the first quarter of the 21st century. Studies on organizational learning have shown that schools have had more success with acquiring and distributing information on effective instructional structures and practices than implementing them to become a school’s learning culture. This qualitative study examined principals’ and teachers’ perceptions of leadership practices that enhance organizational learning and influence collective teacher efficacy. The following research questions guided this study: (1) What are the principal and teachers’ perceptions of principal practices that enhance organizational learning? (2) What role does collective teacher efficacy play in influencing organizational learning? The hermeneutic interpretive phenomenological study explored the perspectives of eight participants who serve as school leaders and teachers in a large urban public school district in the Southeastern United States. The study used the conceptual framework of organizational learning mechanisms (OLMs) to ground the data collection from semi-structured interviews focused on acquiring, distributing, analyzing, retrieving, and using information for decision-making. Interview questions also collected data on enactive (mastery), vicarious, and emotive (affective) states necessary for collective teacher efficacy to flourish. The interview data provided rich descriptions of participants’ lived experiences concerning changes the schools implemented to improve student learning. I maintained a reflexive journal to capture the thoughts and reactions I experienced during the interviewing process to account for my prejudices and biases regarding teaching and learning. Interview data were analyzed using the stages of the interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) technique. Two main themes emerged from the data analysis. 1) Coaching promotes a culture of collaboration and learning, and 2) Participative decision-making encourages staff to contribute and solve problems. The two main themes emerged from synthesizing several sub-themes. The sub-themes such as coaching shift teacher focus to student-centered learning, PLCs engage teachers in collective ownership, district personnel, and parents are partners in learning. Intentional collaboration between new and experienced teachers combined to form one of the main themes, coaching promotes a culture of collaboration and learning for all. Similarly, the other main theme developed from the sub-themes, staff having access to relevant information, such as student data, to make instructional decisions encourage participative decision-making. During participative decision-making, staff contribute ideas and solve problems that affect student achievement. Implications of this research lead to recommendations for schools and districts. The schools and districts can use coaching structures effectively to maximize the benefits of PLC, developing collective efficacy by creating structures and practices for staff to learn with their peers collaboratively to practice participative decision-making to build collective ownership of all students

Using Parent-Identified Strengths of Autistic Children to Advance Strength-Based Intervention

Questions remain about the range of abilities autistic children possess and what constitutes effective treatment. Strength-based intervention contrasts with traditional autistic intervention approaches that focus on children\u27s deficits. Studies on strength-based intervention approaches have not revealed how children\u27s strengths are identified and have not used the insights of parents for this purpose. Neurodiversity serves as the conceptual framework because the tenets of neurodiversity align with those of strength-based approaches and hold that autism is a variation of the human condition rather than a disability. The purpose of this qualitative interpretive phenomenological study was to explore how the parent-identified strengths of autistic children may act as the basis for the advancement of strength-based intervention. The research questions focused on identifying the strengths of autistic children through semistructured interviews with 15 parents of high-functioning autistic children, who were recruited using purposive sampling. Data were analyzed using a three-level method, and six themes emerged: Routine, Caring for Others, Relationship with Parent, Intervention in School, Therapy, and Outlook for the Future. Practical implications for community psychology include development of strength-based approaches based on altruism, parent-child relationships, and positive outlooks for the future. Further research is recommended on caring for others and displaying affection in relation to strength-related constructs, such as resiliency and growth. Effective strength-based interventions may help autistic children develop based on their strengths, leading to positive social change

School Culture and Mathematics Teachers\u27 Experiences: A Story of Johnson High School

Within an era of educational reform, there has been significant discussion and varying opinions about how to measure the “success” of a school. One important element to consider when investigating a school’s successes, areas for growth, or strategies for implementing reform is the culture created within the building. Although culture can be difficult to define, school culture is an often-studied topic and can be pivotal in understanding the different aspects within the building (Schein, 2010; Siehl & Martin, 1987). A school’s culture can be helpful in creating an atmosphere of support and care for teachers, staff, and students within a building, affecting teacher satisfaction and retention (Teasley, 2017). Currently, existing literature about school culture investigates the creation of culture, the benefits of positive school cultures, and the effect that school culture has on teachers and students within a building, often looking at teacher morale and experiences or student performance and achievement (Erichsen & Reynolds, 2020; Peterson & Deal, 1998; MacNeil et al., 2009; Teasley, 2017). To add to the discussion of school culture from a broad perspective, it is important to consider the culture created within specific schools to document their methods of success or ways they can improve their practices. Therefore, in this ethnographic case study, situated within an anthropological perspective, I investigated how one school’s school culture is described by members within the building, how that school’s culture is created, and how school culture influences the experiences of mathematics teachers. Multiple perspectives were considered when describing the school culture, including points of view from leadership, staff, teachers, and former students. I also included personal narratives and memory data from my perspective, given that I have been employed at the case site for over 11 years. Together, these different perspectives were synthesized to create a holistic description of the culture created within Johnson High School, and its effects on mathematics teachers

Narratives of Caring in the Elementary Art Room

Caring is an essential part of any classroom environment, but most investigations about caring in schools do not include the voices of art educators. How art teachers perceive and model caring has not been addressed in previous literature. Looking through a theoretical lens shaped by Dewey, Vygotsky, and feminist theory, specifically an ethic of care, this study examined three elementary art teachers\u27 caring practices and beliefs. Narrative analysis was used to find connections and points of departure in the participants\u27 stories of caring in their classrooms with existing literature. By sharing art teachers\u27 stories of caring, the findings from this study can add to previous understanding about how educators craft caring environments for their students