Voices of the Implementers: The Perceptions and Experiences of Educators Implementing PBIS

This qualitative research study was developed around the problem that teachers are resistant to change when implementing educational initiatives that are new to them. “Rather than blame teachers and ask, ‘Why do teachers resist?’ perhaps those of us who lead change should ask, ‘What can we do to make it easier for teachers to implement new practices’” (Knight, 2009, p. 508)? Research supports the need for district and school administrators to focus on strategies that positively impact change and develop successful initiation and implementation procedures. This study focused on the types of strategies identified by the teachers that facilitated and/or hindered their PBIS initiation and implementation experiences in their classrooms and schools. The prior research conducted on PBIS and the implementation of PBIS by various researchers has shown that PBIS interventions are successful when the program is implemented and all parts of the program are implemented and used as intended (Office of Special Education Programs [OSEP], 2015). The researcher used one-on-one interviews to collect teacher experiences. This allowed for the contemplation of the experiences of the teachers who are the key stakeholders in PBIS implementation in both the school and classroom settings. Martin (2013) stated that giving the teachers a voice about issues that had always been the domain of district and school administrators built trust. Once the teachers were allowed to plan and develop systems for successful implementation, they experienced greater teacher buy-in that resulted in successful implementation of the programs (Martin, 2013). The themes that were identified under the category hindrances were direct expert training, ownership/buy-in, and consistency with themes in the category of successes focused on committees, materials, and continuous improvement

Diversity Awareness and Multicultural Experiences in Psychology Graduate Students

Doctoral psychology students represent multiple interchanging cultural identities that influence their behaviors, attitudes, and interactions with others. While training the next generation of psychologists, psychology doctoral programs have the challenging but vital responsibility to incorporate diversity training into their curriculums. Diversity training along with graduate students’ diversity awareness and experience work together to widen cultural mindsets (Chao, Kung, & Yao, 2015). The objective of this study was to explore variables associated with doctoral psychology students’ diversity awareness and multicultural experiences. Furthermore, the study explored graduate students’ insight into their own implicit biases, knowledge of issues of power and privilege, and cultural humility. This study is a mixed methods evaluation which collected quantitative data on doctoral psychology student hypothesizing that years of training, being a member of a diverse population, and gender will influence diversity awareness. Furthermore, the study predicted that multicultural experiences would be influenced by years of training, being a member of diverse population and gender. Participants included doctoral psychology students from a program housed within a private liberal arts university in the Pacific Northwest. Two quantitative questionnaires were used to assess diversity awareness and cultural experiences of doctoral psychology students and two focus group interviews were conducted to further explore formative experiences in diversity training. Quantitative findings suggested that there was a significant difference between years of training on diversity awareness Furthermore there was a significant interaction between year of training and gender on diversity awareness. However, being a member of diverse population did not have a significant impact on diversity awareness. In contrast, results failed to support the hypotheses that years of training, member of a diverse population or gender influenced multicultural experiences. Themes from the focus group interviews were distilled and collapsed into three categories (a) experiences that increased awareness of implicit biases, power and privilege, (b) influences of those experiences on therapeutic relationships, and (c) definition of cultural humility and perspectives on effective ways to continue developing cultural humility. In sum, these findings outline student perspectives on effective diversity training methods in a doctoral psychology training program

Leveraging university mission statements : a case study analyzing competitive academic teams' contributions towards advancing mission statements

Dissertation supervisor: Dr. Sandy Hutchinson.Includes vita.This case study examines the importance of program alignment with a university's mission and pedagogical commitment to students and articulates the unique ways in which competitive academic teams advance the mission and learning contract of the University of Central Missouri. By engaging in site-specific research that highlights how co-curricular activities such as competitive academic teams, advance the university's mission, programs can take a proactive approach to sharing with university administration the unique ways in which they can provide data to fulfill the Higher Learning Commission's (HLC) accreditation requirements, contribute to the overall success of the university, and solidify their own position amongst the institutional community.Includes bibliographical references

In preeclampsia, maternal third trimester subcutaneous adipocyte lipolysis is more resistant to suppression by insulin than in healthy pregnancy

Obesity increases preeclampsia risk, and maternal dyslipidemia may result from exaggerated adipocyte lipolysis. We compared adipocyte function in preeclampsia with healthy pregnancy to establish whether there is increased lipolysis. Subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue biopsies were collected at caesarean section from healthy (n=31) and preeclampsia (n=13) mothers. Lipolysis in response to isoproterenol (200 nmol/L) and insulin (10 nmol/L) was assessed. In healthy pregnancy, subcutaneous adipocytes had higher diameter than visceral adipocytes (<i>P</i><0.001). Subcutaneous and visceral adipocyte mean diameter in preeclampsia was similar to that in healthy pregnant controls, but cell distribution was shifted toward smaller cell diameter in preeclampsia. Total lipolysis rates under all conditions were lower in healthy visceral than subcutaneous adipocytes but did not differ after normalization for cell diameter. Visceral adipocyte insulin sensitivity was lower than subcutaneous in healthy pregnancy and inversely correlated with plasma triglyceride (<i>r</i>=−0.50; <i>P</i>=0.004). Visceral adipose tissue had lower <i>ADRB3, LPL,</i> and leptin and higher insulin receptor messenger RNA expression than subcutaneous adipose tissue. There was no difference in subcutaneous adipocyte lipolysis rates between preeclampsia and healthy controls, but subcutaneous adipocytes had lower sensitivity to insulin in preeclampsia, independent of cell diameter (<i>P</i><0.05). In preeclampsia, visceral adipose tissue had higher <i>LPL</i> messenger RNA expression than subcutaneous. In conclusion, in healthy pregnancy, the larger total mass of subcutaneous adipose tissue may release more fatty acids into the circulation than visceral adipose tissue. Reduced insulin suppression of subcutaneous adipocyte lipolysis may increase the burden of plasma fatty acids that the mother has to process in preeclampsia

INCREASING COLORECTAL CANCER SCREENING REFERRALS IN A PRIMARY CARE CLINIC

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of death worldwide and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. When diagnosed early, CRC has a 90% 5-year survival rate. Despite the increasing availability of CRC screening, only an estimated 62% of adults aged 50-75 years are up to date on testing and only 40% of those with the disease are detected at a treatable stage. Focusing screening efforts of primary care providers is critical in early detection and treatment of CRC. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to increase provider referrals of CRC screening to patients aged 50-75 years old by implementing a provider reminder system by utilization of a questionnaire. Over a twelve-week period, a total of 62 (25%) patients received a questionnaire and 17 (27%) were referred for screening. Although staff compliance in distributing questionnaires was only 25%, provider compliance for recommending screening for those who received the questionnaire was 100%. The overall goal of this project was to increase the number of patients being screened for CRC, thus improving patient care and reducing mortality. Reminding providers to routinely refer their patients for CRC screening is an effective way to improve screening rates in primary care settings.D.N.P

Recent Observations of the Distribution of Woodchucks (Marmota monax) in Arkansas

During the last couple of decades, the distribution of the woodchuck (Marmota monax) appeared to be expanding southward in Arkansas (Tumlison et al. 2001). An increase in the frequency of new sightings led us to re-evaluate the present status of this species of squirrel in the state. The woodchuck is not easily confused with other mammals, therefore we sought records of sightings to update information about its distribution. Recent range expansion had been documented in southwestern Arkansas, so we placed notices in stores and advertised in local newspapers in that region to intensively seek new records of sightings from the public. Results of that effort, coupled with information gathered from a statewide survey of personnel of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, indicated that woodchucks are most common in the western Interior Highlands, and that the species apparently continues to expand its range southward in Arkansas

Social Participation and Navigation with Adolescent and Young Adult Brain Tumor Survivors: Usability and Potential Benefits

Background: This study examined the usability and potential benefits of Social Participation and Navigation (SPAN), a virtual coaching goal planning intervention, which was modified for adolescent and young adult (AYA) brain tumor survivors who often experience social participation challenges. Methods: Four AYA brain tumor survivors participated in a brief trial of the modified SPAN consisting of four weekly coaching sessions with trained supervised occupational therapy graduate students and use of a website and web application to assist with goal planning and achievement. The participants rated their social participation and SPAN-specific skills pre/post program. The participants and parents completed 1-week and 1-month usability surveys post program. Effect sizes were computed to examine pre/post score changes. Descriptive statistics and content analyses were used to examine quantitative and qualitative usability data. Results: SPAN was well-received by the AYAs, parents, and coaches with high satisfaction ratings for coaching. All participants achieved at least one goal. The participants had increased post-intervention scores in social participation (overall, school, community) and SPAN skills (goal planning, self-regulation, reciprocal communication). Suggestions for improvement primarily focused on the SPAN web application. Conclusion: The results demonstrated the usability and potential benefits of SPAN for AYA brain tumor survivors and have informed a larger implementation trial