Teaching English to Refugees and Immigrants with Low Literacy in their Native Language and Limited English Proficiency (Using the Language Experience Approach)

Immigrants who enter the United States come with varying degrees of education. Some immigrants come with a bachelor’s degree or higher, and some come with very limited schooling or no schooling at all. Yet many immigrants or refugees that come to the United States with low literacy in their native language, and limited English proficiency never enroll in an ESL class. There are many causes attributed to this lack of enrollment: learners’ embarrassment and anxiety to admitting their lack of literacy, class scheduling conflicts, long waiting lists, and the English-only approach taken by most ESL classes in the United States. This handbook includes a series of lessons for instructors and volunteers who are working with this target group of learners, possibly for the first time. In the beginning, it may be hard for new instructors and volunteers to find shared interests and themes to use with learners from different cultural backgrounds, so the five lessons in the handbook work as an effective starting off point. It provides lessons that instructors can use from the outset, and they do not have to create themselves. The lessons employ the Language Experience Approach (LEA), which centers on learner-generated content that the learner themselves create by drawing on their lived experiences, their cultures, and their oral traditions. Using LEA will help the instructor to begin to build a relationship immediately with the learner, and the learner could immediately begin communicating in English about things with which they are already familiar. This approach will also develop the learners’ reading, listening, and writing skills

Eosinophilic Esophagitis

Eosinophilic esophagitis is newer autoimmune disease recognized by healthcare providers. This poster will include information on the pathophysiology of the disease process, treatment, nursing considerations, sign and symptoms, and diagnostic criteria. Patients with eosinophilic esophagitis are often misdiagnosed for years before treatment is started. This poster is to spread awareness of the disease process

The role of mentoring in the development of African American nurse leaders

The primary purpose of this study was to explore the role of mentoring in the development of African American nurses who have achieved leadership positions in baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs. This study also explored the similar and dissimilar mentoring experiences in same-race versus cross-race mentoring relationships. The theoretical framework for this study is Levinson’s adult developmental theory. A sequential mixed design was utilized. Forty-seven African American nurse leaders participated in Phase I, of which 10 were interviewed in Phase II. The findings showed that mentoring plays a role in the personal and professional development of African American nurse leaders in baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs. Moreover, the relevance of race varies in both same-race and cross-race mentoring relationships

Caregiver relations among African American children: a before and after picture of changes in caregiver

In the event of family breakdown, removing the child from the home is one of the most common forms of state intervention, and is one of the primary interventions provided when a parent experiences severe problems related to caring for their children. This investigation examined predictors and consequences of the transition from one primary caregiver to another among African American youth. The sample consisted of African American children being raised by various members of their families including biological parents, relatives, and non-relatives. Respondents were participants in a large-scale study of African American children and their families, the Family and Community Health Study (FACHS). Children\u27s level of depression and conduct disorder symptoms and school performance were assessed in order to compare the adjustment of children who reside with a biological parent compared to that of children who live with various other family members and non-relatives. Secondary data analysis revealed relatively few differences among children raised by various caregivers. Regardless of the caregiver relation to target, this study highlights the importance of a home environment that encourages a child\u27s healthy behavioral and psychological development

Stepped Care for Depression: A Systematic Review and Feasibility Study

Doctoral thesis in the field of Health Services Research focussed on the development and evaluation of stepped care treatment for depression. Encompasses two studies (a systematic review and feasibility study) planned and conducted using the Medical Research Council (2008) framework for the development and evaluation of complex interventions. Applies techniques for mixed methods analysis of primary data in highly original ways.Background. Stepped care is widely implemented as a means to organise depression treatment. However, it is unclear how this system and the system it was designed to replace – long-term intensive psychotherapy for all – compare. Aim. To further the development and evaluation of stepped care. Specifically, assess the clinical effectiveness of stepped care and prepare for a fully-powered evaluation of stepped care vs. high-intensity psychotherapy alone for depressed adults. Design. A systematic review and mixed methods feasibility study encompassing a pilot randomised controlled trial and semi-structured interviews. Results of the systematic review. Fourteen randomised controlled trials involving 4580 participants were included. Relative to controls, there was significantly greater improvement in depression for adults treated with stepped care (d=0.34 at six months; 95% CI 0.20 to 0.48). The quality of included studies was good and there was little evidence of publication bias. All comparisons were with usual care. Results of the feasibility study. 66 patients were recruited to the pilot trial. The recruitment rate was 2.9% and follow-up data was obtained from 90.9% of participants. A third of stepped care patients stepped up to high-intensity therapy. Patients improved in both groups: the mean reduction in depressive symptoms was 13.4 in the stepped care group and 13.6 in the high-intensity therapy alone group. Recruitment methods were appropriate to patients and therapists but only somewhat appropriate to IAPT staff. Although the stepped care intervention was broadly acceptable to therapists, patient experience varied and some patients who demonstrated a low level of self-efficacy declined any therapy or dropped out of treatment. Conclusions. The effectiveness of stepped care compared with long-term intensive psychological therapy for all has not yet been established. A fully-powered trial of stepped care vs. high-intensity therapy alone is feasible although pilot trial methods and procedures should be modified to improve recruitment and acceptability.University of Exete

Structure and flow of carbon and nitrogen to the western Irish Sea Nephrops norvegicus fishery: a stable isotope approach.

PhDStable isotope analysis was used to describe the structure and flow of organic matter (carbon and nitrogen) from primary production in the water column to the benthos, and into secondary production that supports a fishery for the lobster Nephrops norvegicus in the western Irish Sea. There was strong seasonal variation in the carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes of organic matter associatedw ith the seasonalc ycle of primary production in the surfacew aters. The seasonal isotope signal was used to trace the flow of organic matter from primary production through herbivorous zooplankton to the carnivorous pelagic larvae of Nephrops norvegicus.T he production of larvae represented0 .2 % of spring bloom production. Stable isotope analysis of organic matter throughout the water column was used to track the vertical flux of primary production from the surface to the benthos. The isotope signal was also used to quantify the input of carbon to the benthos, estimated to be 41 % of spring bloom primary production. The carbon input to the benthos supported a simple food chain of three higher trophic levels (TL2 - TL4). Nephrops norvegicus was positioned at TU where it accounted for 96 % of the total biomass at that level. The input of carbon to the benthos was equal to the removal of carbon from the benthos by the Nephrops norvegicus fishery assuming a transfer efficiency of 16 % between each trophic level. Climate warming has caused a decline in primary production in some marine systems. Should similar impacts occur in the western Irish Sea,t he subsequendt ecline in the flux of carbon to the benthos will result in a shortfall in the supply of carbon needed to support the current catch rate of the Nephrops norvegicus fishery.Agri Food and Bioscience Institute (AFBI) formrtly (DARD) in Northern Ireland Natural Environment Research counci

Health Educational Games and Their Effectiveness Among Children

poster abstractAfter the release of the health educational games, Bronkie the Bronchiasaurus and Packy and Marlon in 1995, the production of health educational games for children started to increase. Over the past couple of decades, health educational video games on the topics of Asthma, Cancer, Diabetes and Risk Prevention, have been proven to be an effective form of learning for children. The purpose of this study is to analyze the effectiveness of these health education games among children. For this study, search engines such as Google, Bing, and Google Scholar were used to find health educational games on the topics of Asthma, Cancer, Diabetes, and Risk Prevention. In order to produce the best results, several searches were conducted using a series of keyword identifiers. Keyword searches were completed to discover content in the areas of frequency of use, effectiveness, and evidence-based outcomes from these games. To date, twenty-three health educational games were found. Out of twenty-three games, twenty-one were successful in their reported effectiveness. Our research also shows that some hospitals around the United States have started to incorporate these games into their patients’ regimen because of the degree of success reported

Serious Health Educational Games and Their Effectiveness Among Children

poster abstractResearchers have struggled to create effective mechanisms that help educate children on various health-related topics. Since the release of Captain Novolin and Bronkie the Bronchiasaurus in the early 1990’s, there has been a steady production of health educational games for children. The authors have conducted an exhaustive literature review and found twenty-six health related games that have been released in the United States. From 1992 - 2013, these games cover a range of health related issues such as Asthma, Depression, Diabetes, and Cancer. Our findings suggest that the majority of the health education games focus on educating younger children about diabetes and reducing diabetes-related emergency visits. Thus, our focus is on six diabetes related games, Captain Novolin, Packy and Marlon, Dbaza’s Diabetes Education for Kids, Starbright Life Adventure Series, Nanoswarm: Invasion from Inner Space, Escape from Diab. Our research questions are: “What are the common characteristics that promote these games to be a success?” “What is the relevance of only focusing on the topic of diabetes?

The Importance of Sexual Education on Adolescent Sexual Behaviors

Objective: The objective of this report is to examine how sex education for adolescents living in rural and urban settings in the states of Alabama and Ohio impacts their sexual health and behaviors. Methods: To explore this topic, several different statistical tests were done: an independent t-test, an ANOVA test, a Pearman/Spearman correlation, a regression, and a standard correlation. The reason for these different tests was to compare the difference in the number of sexually transmitted diseases, how insurance status correlates with teenage pregnancy rates and sexually transmitted diseases, and the relationship between socioeconomic status and the rate of sexually transmitted diseases. Results: We found that there are a multitude of factors that influence sexual behaviors and health of teenagers: the type of county they live in (rural or urban), their socioeconomic status, insurance status, and type of household. Therefore, it is imperative that these healthcare disparities are combated so that underserved teenage patient populations can have improved rates of sexual health and have access to sexual health resources that can enhance their health status and overall patient care outcomes