Relationship of Collaborative School Culture and School Achievement

The purpose of this correlational, quantitative study was to examine the magnitude and direction of the relationship between collaborative school culture and school achievement in rural, economically disadvantaged middle schools utilizing a 6, 7, 8 grade configuration. Survey data was collected from 263 teachers representing 12 rural, economically disadvantaged middle schools in the state of Georgia. Data collection tools included the Learning Community Culture Indicator (LCCI) 4.0 survey developed by Williams, Matthews, Stewart, and Hilton (2007) and the Georgia Criterion Referenced Competency Test (GCRCT). The study generated data from 12 middle schools regarding the overall functionality level of their collaborative school culture, individual elements indicative of collaborative culture, and the presence of formal professional learning communities. Study results from Pearson’s product-moment correlations revealed no statistically significant relationships between overall school scores on the LCCI 4.0 and school achievement. Additional correlational analyses examined the relationship between individual elements of collaborative culture and school achievement, and findings indicated a statistically significant relationship between school achievement in the area of mathematics and the element identified as common mission, vision, values, and goals. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) 2 was utilized to compare functionality levels of collaborative culture and school achievement, and findings did not reveal any statistically significant results. The study did not support the need for formal professional learning communities in schools as a prerequisite for highly functioning collaborative culture. Characteristics of highly functioning collaborative school cultures were identified within the research. While the study resulted in limited statistically significant findings, it may suggest an association between school achievement and collaborative school culture that bears future consideration

An Object-oriented Design for an Adaptive System to Augment a Telecommunication and Networking Systems (TNS) Course

An object-oriented system is designed to enhance the instruction in a telecommunication and networking course. The areas covered include rationale for using a hypermedia structure, multi-modal instruction and development strategies, instructional design components, systems architecture, and course content and unit organization

The good, the right & the exigencies of life: John Dewey & the value of moral disagreement

The crucial demarcation of John Dewey’s ethical theory was to advocate a shift from promoting particular moral views to emphasising a process of reflective moral enquiry that is equipped to incorporate plurality and difference. I have attempted to revisit Dewey’s relevance to the present by setting his ideas within a broader historical context than he is normally located in Pragmatist literature. Hence, an important methodological aspect of the thesis is deriving the conceptual framework through a historical analysis of David Hume’s particular brand of sentimentalism, Immanuel Kant’s unification of sentimentalism and rationalism in the third Critique and John Stuart Mill’s notion of community under the rubrics of two terms, namely Dewey’s ‘experience’ and ‘inquiry’. I demonstrate that understanding each philosopher as building on the ideas of the previous philosopher’s ethical theory provides a background to Dewey’s pragmatist ethics. This allows me to reconfigure the tendency of standard contemporary analyses of Dewey that continue to evaluate his work in terms of the very alternatives that Dewey sought to overcome, for example, objective and subjective, cognitive and non-cognitive, plural and monist. Finally, I show how Dewey’s pragmatist ethics bear upon the value of disagreement as illustrated in three case studies from the present day. This reveals Dewey’s theory in practice. Dewey’s particular conceptions of experience and enquiry, rather than any particular set of norms or principles, are employed to define his conception of the ethical. Dewey’s pragmatic proceduralism is neither normative nor meta-theoretical. Rather it describes the basis upon which one can demonstrate that one is a part of a community of ethical progress.Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Humanities, 201

Deficits in recognizing female facial expressions related to social network in cocaine-addicted men

Background: The ability to accurately recognise facial expressions of emotion is crucial for social functioning and maintaining healthy relationships. Recognising the emotional state of others allows us to respond to their needs and adjust our behaviour appropriately. Impairments in facial affect recognition have been reported in chronic cocaine users but little is known whether these contribute to their difficulties in social situations. Methods: We assessed face and facial emotional expression recognition in forty-five men with cocaine use disorder (CUD) and forty-four healthy control participants. Using standardised questionnaires, we also collected information on perceived social support, social provision and community integration. Results: Our results found that male cocaine users had greater difficulty in recognising female emotional facial expressions than male controls. This effect was not explained by demographic variables but it was associated with their social network; including social support, social provisions and community integration. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that men with CUD have greater difficulty in identifying emotional expression in female faces, which is linked with their social support networks. This may play an important role in misunderstanding non-verbal communications that contribute to destabilising friendship and family ties typically seen in drug addiction. Addressing deficits in recognising female emotional expressions may be an important piece of information for counselling and other interventions

Exploring student nurses' attitudes towards those who are obese and whether these attitudes change following a simulated activity

BACKGROUND: As the prevalence of obesity increases worldwide the field of bariatric medicine has emerged, focussing on the causes, prevention and treatment of obesity. People who are obese regularly face bias from healthcare professionals, which can negativity impact on care delivery and patient outcomes. The introduction of bariatric empathy suits into simulated practice may enable student nurses to appreciate the needs of, and influence their attitudes towards, obese people. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to explore student nurses' attitudes towards those who are obese and whether these attitudes change following a simulated activity. DESIGN: A mixed methods study incorporating a pre-post design. SETTING: A UK university which provides pre-registration nursing education. PARTICIPANTS: Nursing students in part 1 (n = 39) and part 2 (n = 29) in adult and mental health fields. METHODS: Part 1 and 2 nursing students completed the "Nurses' attitudes towards obesity and obese patients scale" (NATOOPS) questionnaire. Part 2 students also took part in a simulation activity while wearing a bariatric empathy suit and completed the NATOOPS questionnaire again immediately after the simulation activity. Students who wore the empathy suits were invited to a focus group. RESULTS: Part 1 students reported poorer attitudes on the NATOOPS scale than Part 2 students. After wearing the bariatric empathy suits students reported changed attitudes on the NATOOPS in three areas: response to obese patients, characteristics of obese patients and supportive roles in caring for obese patients. Five themes emerged from the focus groups related to physical and psychological impact of the suits; thinking differently; simulation as a learning experience and challenges and recommendations. CONCLUSIONS: Following a structured educational experience student nurses' attitudes were more positive towards obese patients. The characteristics of the educational activity that appeared to influence student nurses' attitudes was related to the "lived experience" of wearing bariatric empathy suits