VTechWorks Repository :: Browsing by Author "Burton, John K."

Browsing by Author "Burton, John K."

Now showing 1 - 20 of 265

Adaptation and validation of a technology attitude scale for use by American teachers at the middle school level
Jeffrey, Thomas J. (Virginia Tech, 1993-11-05)
The purpose of this study was to adapt and validate the Technology Attitude Scale (TAS) for use by American teachers at the middle school level. The study provided an instrument for American middle school teachers to determine students' attitudes toward technology and concepts of technology. The Technology Attitude Scale (TAS) , an adaptation of a Dutch instrument consisting of three sections, was used to collect descriptive information. The first section of the instrument obtained demographic information about the respondents including: (1) age (2) grade level (3) gender (4) school location (rural, urban) (5) respondents involvement with technology education. The second section obtained information about students' attitudes toward technology. There were 26 items divided over 6 subscales, (interest, role pattern, consequences, difficulty, curriculum, and career). Students responded by using a five choice Likert-type scale with 3 to 5 items per subscale. The third section obtained information about the students' concept of technology, measuring cognitive or knowledge aspects based on 5 generally accepted characteristics of the concept technology. There were 28 items divided over 4 subscales, (technology and society, technology and science, technology and skills, and technology and pillars). Content validity was determined through a Panel of Experts consisting of five individuals with expertise in middle school education. The study population included five middle schools in Virginia. It consisted of a Pilot Study (N = 48) and a Large Group Administration (N =185). Statistical analysis included reliability measures using Cronbach's homogeneity coefficient alpha (Attitude Scales) and KuderRichardson 20 (Concept Scales) with attention to demographic information. Both the Attitude Scales (overall correlation .81) and the Concept Scales (overall correlation .83) met the minimum criterion (.60). The Technology Attitude Scale (TAS) has been adapted and validated for use by American teachers at the middle school level.
Adapting Television Cultivation Theory Variables to determine the effects of P.E.TV on Middle School Viewers' attitudes toward Physical Activity
Roussell, John Mathieu (Virginia Tech, 1996-04-01)
Physical Education Television (P.E.TV) is a curriculum supplement package, consisting of a series of 10-12 minute long videos and a teachers' support manual, for use in physical education and health classes in middle and high school. The program has been distributed to over 13,000 schools across the United States. The creators of P.E.TV have stated that they intend the program to influence adolescents' attitudes toward physical activity, and to encourage wellness. Reports from a national survey of educators have shown that teachers believe that their students' attitudes are being affected by the program. This experimental study examined if that is the case for 7th graders in a rural Southwestern Virginia Junior High School. Four intact 7th grade physical education/health classes were selected for the study. The students were randomly assigned to the classes by school administrators. The classes were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups. The treatment group (two 7th grade classes) viewed 10 P.E.TV shows over a period of 9 weeks. The same teacher taught all four classes. All participating students filled out a questionnaire consisting of the "Weekly Activity Checklist" and a television cultivation exposure questionnaire, at the beginning of the 9 weeks to determine their activity levels and viewing habits before the experiment. Students were categorized into groups based on activity level, amount of television normally viewed, and predominant type of television show viewed to allow for attribute-treatment-interaction analyses. A post-test only design was used to find out if P.E.TV influenced the students' attitudes toward physical activity. The Children's Attitudes Toward Physical Activity scale was used to assess the students' attitudes. Three hypotheses were tested using a one-way Analysis of Variance and two hypotheses concerning attribute-treatment-interactions were tested using a two-way Analysis of Variance for each. Levels of significance were set at .05. The analyses indicated that there were no statistically significant differences in attitudes toward physical activity between treatment and control groups as well as no statistically significant differences within the treatment groups concerning attribute-treatment-interactions.
African American Undergraduate Students' Experiences in Residential Learning Communities at a Predominantly White Institution
Best, Julia Y. (Virginia Tech, 2006-01-24)
There is a nationwide decline in enrollment, retention and degree completion for African American students in predominantly White institutions (PWIs) in the United States. Colleges and Universities establish diversity initiatives to address these concerns, yet educational disparities persist. Institutions of higher learning also address ways to enhance the educational development of undergraduate students. One such initiative involves a paradigm shift to extend the curriculum into residential learning communities (RLCs). Therefore, this study addresses the following research question: How do African American undergraduate students in RLCs perceive the role of these communities, particularly the kinds of contacts they afford with faculty, staff, and peers, in shaping their educational development? I used qualitative methods - open-ended semi-structured interviews, participant observations, and a questionnaire - to explore students' experiences in six academically-tied residential learning communities. Thirty-two current and former members participated in individual interviews. Sixteen full-time male and sixteen female students include twenty-two freshmen, four sophomores, four juniors and two seniors. Consistent with Astin's (1985, 1993b, 1996) work, this dissertation suggests that student involvement with faculty, peers and academics is necessary for retention. However, this study argues that a critical race theory (CRT) perspective is needed to make sense of the way peer interactions create racial barriers and lead some students to develop what I charaterize as "racial-cope-ability" skills to deal with racial challenges. High school background plays a role in how students fare in RLCs. High school leadership experiences support positive self-efficacy and help students connect with faculty, peers and activities at the onset of the collegiate experience. A number of RLC components help create positive affective and cognitive developmental experiences: A sense of belonging and a sense of community significantly impact psychosocial wellbeing, success and retention; Built-in support systems, educational advantages for retention and personalized experiences at a large PWI are reasons to recommend RLCs to other students; and Residential learning communities at PWIs can contribute to existing outreach efforts into untapped in-state and out-of-state communities, school systems and outreach efforts on campus.
An analysis of concept mapping as an instructional technique for teaching advanced technology concepts to at-risk junior high school students
Gilchrist, Kelvin (Virginia Tech, 1992-08-06)
The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of concept mapping as an instructional technique for teaching advanced technology concepts to at-risk junior high school students. The students were from three Northern Illinois school districts, 174 students from three junior high schools. The study sought to assess the effects on achievement of students who used concept mapping as part of a carefully designed sequence of instructions. Method and Procedure: Eight intact junior high school technology classes, taught by three instructors, took part in this study. Of the 174 seventh and eighth grade students participating in this study, 87 students were in the treatment groups, and 87 students were in the control groups. The intact groups were formed from two schools with three classes and one school with two classes. Within each school, classes were randomly assigned to be the treatment groups or control groups. The criteria for student selection for the at-risk group were based on (a) students' attendance, (b) students' behavior, (c) personal history, (d) counselor's input, and (e) parent conferences. The at-risk students were identified by a code only known by classroom teachers. The quasiexperimental design used for this study was the pretest-posttest design. A two-way ANCOVA using the pretest scores as a covariate analyzed the posttest scores to determine what effect, if any, distinguished between the instructional methods. Results: There was one main finding of this study. The benefits of using concept mapping appeared for the at-risk students than for the not at-risk students. Conclusion: For this junior high school at-risk population, concept mapping during and after instruction led to greater achievement as measured by posttest.
An Analysis of Successful and Unsuccessful Example Solutions to Enhance Open-Ended Technological Problem-Solving Efficiency Among Middle School Students
Sianez, David M. (Virginia Tech, 2003-05-02)
This study investigated the usefulness of providing successful and unsuccessful example solutions in enhancing students' technological problem-solving efficiency. Prior research exploring worked example solutions indicated improved problem-solving efficiency when solutions were structured in a fashion that decreased the amount of extraneous cognitive load and increased the amount of germane cognitive load as specified by cognitive load theory. Fifty-one 7th and 8th grade students enrolled in technology education courses were selected from one school in the southwest region of Virginia. Participants completed three technological problem-solving tasks that included elevated load, cantilevered weight, and energy absorption using supply kits containing simple modeling materials. Problem-solving efficiency was determined by combining the amount of elapsed time across all three tasks. A 3 x 3 mixed factorial ANOVA was used to analyze the data. Data analysis revealed trends similar to worked example research in mathematics and science, but no significant difference among the three groups was found in this study.
Analysis of the hardware requirements of a high speed computer interface required to utilize fiber distributed data interface
Tolley, Dan B. (Virginia Tech, 1990)
As the use of computers in the workplace becomes more commonplace, the levels of interconnection and interoperability increases. The desire to pass large amounts of data almost instantaneously is the basis of the high speed local area network (LAN). To meet the needs of these LANs, the American National Standards Institute has developed the Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) standard. This new LAN can provides high speed fiber optic based communication between computers. In meeting the computer/LAN interface requirements, new methods for data transfer will be required. Trade-offs between the reliability, architecture and buffer sizes must be developed. These concepts must include variables of data transfer widths, protocol processing, transfer architecture and packet length distributions. This dissertation addresses these hardware requirements in using the high speed computer interface known as the Fiber Data Distributed Interface.
Anxiety and attention in beginning readers
Barksdale, Mary Alice (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1988)
This study investigated the relationship between anxiety and attention in high and low anxiety readers during the reading of materials of verging difficulty levels. An A-state reading anxiety scale was developed for the purpose of identifying high end low reading anxiety participants. Response times to a secondary task were measured while high end low reading anxiety participants were engaged in orally reading materials at easy, average, and hard difficulty levels and when not engaged by a primary task. A repeated measures design was implemented to describe relations between response times to a secondary task and high and low A-state reading anxiety groups for a baseline measure and for the reading of easy, average, and hard materials. Response times served as the dependent measure. Reading anxiety groups (high and low) end difficulty levels (baseline, easy, average and hard) served as independent measures. Difficulty levels were identified relative to both comprehension scores and word recognition scores and analyses were conducted separately for difficulty levels as identified by comprehension scores and for difficulty levels as identified by miscue scores. The repeated measures analysis demonstrated a significant interaction effect between high and low anxiety groups and difficulty levels (baseline, easy, average, and hard). The results indicated that attention to the reading task differed for high and low anxiety readers at varied difficulty levels. It was demonstrated that high anxiety readers reached high levels of attention to reading materials only at easy reading levels. At average and hard reading levels, high anxiety readers were unable to maintain high levels of attention to the task. Low anxiety readers generally followed the predictions of the Yerkes-Dodson law (1908), allocating more attention to average reading tasks. Findings were discussed with regard to implications of the effects of anxiety on attention to reading and the development of this methodology.
The Aspirations Formation of Disadvantaged Jamaican Male Youths
Walker, Kenroy A. (Virginia Tech, 1997-01-30)
This study examined the aspirations formation of disadvantaged Jamaican male youths. The design of the study was a Type 3 holistic design which considered the global nature of multiple cases, and focused on the impact of work, family, school, peers and siblings on subjects1 aspirations. Six case studies were conducted using observations, focus groups, taped interviews and document inspection techniques. Data were analyzed using McCraken's coding techniques. The results showed that the youths' aspirations were leveled, reflected realities f their employment possibilities, and were patterned after their father's occupations. The youths' reluctance to raise their aspirations signals the need for Jamaican policy makers to address the problems caused by low aspirations among youths. Recommendations for further research are offered.
An assessment of the attitudes and anxieties of the African-American students who were enrolled in Developmental Mathematics II classes at Halifax Community College
Perry, Wendell (Virginia Tech, 1995)
The purpose of this study was to examine two affective variables that usually hinder the mathematical performance of students. Specifically, this study was to assess the attitudes toward the learning of mathematics and the mathematics anxieties of the African-American students enrolled in Developmental Mathematics II classes at Halifax Community College. Along with assessing the attitudes toward the learning of mathematics and the mathematics anxieties of the African-American students, the study examined if there was a difference between attitudes towards learning of mathematics and mathematics anxieties of the African-American and non African-American students. Using the two instruments (Fennema-Sherman Attitudes toward the Learning of Mathematics Scales and Suinn's Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale) of the study, along with the long interviews of some of the African-American students, it was found that overall the attitudes toward the learning of mathematics were positive and that mathematics anxieties were not prevalent among the African-American students. It was also found that there were no significant differences between the mathematics anxieties of the African-American and non African-American students and no significant differences between the attitudes toward the learning of mathematics of the African-American and the non African-American students who were enrolled in the Developmental Mathematics II classes at Halifax Community College.
An Assessment of the Status of the Diffusion and Adoption of Computer-Based Technology in Appalachian College Association Colleges and Universities
Carter, Carolyn Walsh (Virginia Tech, 1998-08-05)
This descriptive study examines the status of the diffusion and adoption of computer-based technology in the 33 Appalachian College Association schools and universities. The study was conducted in two phases. In Phase I a survey instrument was sent to six hundred randomly selected Appalachian College Association full-time faculty. This survey instrument was used to determine the frequency with which faculty use computer-based technology in the curriculum of the ACA liberal arts colleges and universities. The results of this survey were compared to those of the same survey administered to 59 full-time faculty at Milligan College. In Phase II, in-depth interviews were conducted with sixteen Milligan College faculty members to determine why computer-based technology is or is not being used, how often it is being used, and with what results. An analysis of the results of the study show that word processing software, e-mail, and WWW resources at school are the most frequently used computer-based technologies. Other technologies are occasionally used and, still others, rarely or never used. Faculty gave only anecdotal evidence that the use of computer-based technology in the classroom was effective, but they were able to describe instances where they felt computer-based technology was effective and instances where its use should be avoided. In addition, these interviews provided insight about faculty attitudes toward the use of computer-based technology in the teaching/learning process, support and resources that are available, faculty training and professional development preferences, and anticipated future uses of computer-based technology. The survey instrument and interview questions are included with the document.
At-risk female hispanic eighth grade students: a case study
Born, Helena Loewen (Virginia Tech, 1991-07-01)
Almost twenty-five years ago, James Coleman's Equalitv of Educational Opportunity reported that "Schools make no difference." Though it was received with dismay and frustration by liberal educators, the Coleman report was not the first to indicate that public schools give unequal access to the "American dream." Since that time theorists have attempted to develop models to explain why students tend to exit the educational system with much the same social and economic potential as their parents.
A behavioral evaluation of command-selection aids for inexperienced computer users/
Elkerton, Jay (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1985)
Two experiments were conducted to determine the feasibility of providing online command-selection aids to novice users of an information retrieval system. The results of the first experiment revealed a difference in the mean and variability of search performance between novice and expert computer users. Half of the novices were performing much like experts, while the rest of the sample was extremely slow. These slower novices were using inefficient scrolling strategies and appeared to be unfamiliar with the structure of the database. The second experiment evaluated whether novices could be assisted or trained with command-selection aids developed from the behavior of experts. The command-selection aids were defined in a 3 X 3 mixed factor design with type of model (frequency, sequence, or plan-based) as the between-subjects variable and dialogue initiative (user, computer, or mixed) as the within-subjects variable. The frequency and sequence models presented and ranked search procedures based on a command-usage profile and a command-transition matrix, respectively. The plan-based model presented an ordered set of search procedures with verbal explanations. All models were constructed for groups of homogeneous search problems selected by a sorting and cluster analysis. The three dialogue-initiatives determined whether the user, the computer, or both the user and computer controlled presentation of advice. Administration of the dialogue initiatives was completely counterbalanced and was followed by a final unaided transfer session. As a result of receiving online aiding, the wide ranging search performance of novice subjects was improved both during assistance and transfer. Performance of aided novices was superior to the slow novices and equal to the fast novices and experts. All three command-selection models were equally effective, with exception of the sequence model which sometimes presented frequent and complicated advice. Of the dialogues, mixed-initiated advice was ineffective during the first aiding session possibly due to the difficulties novices faced deciding whether to receive the suggested assistance. The conclusion of the study was that online command—selection aids can be effective if providing appropriate feedback and minimizing the amount of dialogue in aiding.
Benefits and Challenges Associated with Using Virtual Labs and Solutions to Overcome Them
Ngoyi, Luka (Virginia Tech, 2013-05-06)
This study investigated the benefits and challenges associated with the use of virtual labs to teach students, as well as solutions to overcome the challenges. This study was because of the need to develop and implement virtual labs in Zambian institutions of learning. There are plans in Zambia to use virtual labs to supplement the existing laboratory infrastructure and their application would be in a blended type of setting. The study comprised the use of interviews of ten career and technical education (CTE) teachers and five CTE administrators who were from various local school systems and one community college in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The researcher conducted the interviews, analyzed the data, and determined conclusions. The CTE administrators and teachers all agreed that the benefits of virtual labs included flexibility, hands-on learning, and convenience. With regard to challenges, CTE administrators indicated the following: inadequate teacher preparation for virtual teaching; constant technological changes, which meant more training for them; software problems; and teachers' resistance to the changes in their curricula. Teachers, on the other hand, had the following challenges: inadequate communication between them and the technology centers in the schools, frequent failure of laboratory equipment and software, incompetent students allowed to study virtually, and inadequate training to teach in a virtual environment. CTE administrators identified three solutions to the challenges which they had faced. In order to ensure that their virtual programs were running smoothly, they felt that adequate funding needed to be obtained and kept in the budget for training new and older teachers in the use of new teaching software. They identified various venues for training teachers, including attendance at conferences, technological expositions, and bringing in software vendors to train the teachers on site. The administrators also thought that providing adequate and prompt technical support when teachers had technical problems could help overcome the identified challenges. On the other hand, CTE teachers thought that collaborating with other teachers who were facing similar problems would be an excellent way to overcome challenges. They also indicated that initial training and continual training to update their skills would help them overcome problems.
Caring in Nursing Education
Dragich, Bernadette Marie (Virginia Tech, 2001-04-18)
Narratives are used to explore personal beliefs and assumptions about caring in one's personal and professional life. This dissertation recognizes the process of caring is interpretative and evolves from personal experience. I address issues of caring within the practice of nursing and nursing education from a feminist perspective. I begin with my own personal narrative in which I seek to uncover my own caring essence as a basis for inquiring into issues of caring and feminism in nursing education. Theoretical constructs from educational nursing and feminist literature are explored to develop a personal model of caring within nursing education. Nursing students must be educated within a caring learning environment so they can develop a caring stance with patients. Dialogue within teacher-student interaction is at the center of such an environment. This dialogue encourages authentic presence with students that leads to an intuitive knowing. Nursing students need to learn to let their intuitive sense guide the use of technology. Of course, that means educating their intuitions. Autobiographical vignettes are used to reflect on the experience of a nurse educator as caring guides teaching-learning activities in a nursing curriculum. Caring within clinical teaching encourages reflection and increases self-awareness. Clinical teaching is seen as an opportunity to unite theory and practice. It encourages students to be receptive to patients and places value on contextual experiences. An examination of contextual experience shows that care is relational and encourages connections with others. Care is sustained through relationships that give voice to nursing students and patients. This process of giving voice makes caring more visible to others. This visibility allows nurses to celebrate caring occasions and validates worth of caring in nursing. Caring practices within nursing education help students recognize the power within themselves to institute change. Nurse educators must encourage students to care for themselves. This process will help them stay in touch with what they need as individuals as they provide care to others.
A Case Study in the Participatory Design of a Collaborative Science-Based Learning Environment
Chin, George (Virginia Tech, 2004-08-02)
Educational technology research studies have found computer and software technologies to be underutilized in U.S. classrooms. In general, many teachers have had difficulty integrating computer and software technologies into learning activities and classroom curricula because specific technologies are ill-suited to their needs, or they lack the ability to make effective use of these technologies. In the development of commercial and business applications, participatory design approaches have been applied to facilitate the direct participation of users in system analysis and design. Among the benefits of participatory design include mutual learning between users and developers, envisionment of software products and their use contexts, empowerment of users in analysis and design, grounding of design in the practices of users, and growth of users as designers and champions of technology. In the context of educational technology development, these similar consequences of participatory design may lead to more appropriate and effective education systems as well as greater capacities by teachers to apply and integrate educational systems into their teaching and classroom practices. We present a case study of a participatory design project that took place over a period of two and one half years, and in which teachers and developers engaged in the participatory analysis and design of a collaborative science learning environment. A significant aspect of the project was the development methodology we followed - Progressive Design. Progressive Design evolved as an integration of methods for participatory design, ethnography, and scenario-based design. In this dissertation, we describe the Progressive Design approach, how it was used, and its specific impacts and effects on the development of educational systems and the social and cognitive growth of teachers.
A Case Study of Adoption and Diffusion of an Existing Asynchronous Distance Learning Program
Schauer-Crabb, Cheryl Anne (Virginia Tech, 2002-04-11)
This case study examines an asynchronous distance learning program to identify characteristics critical to the diffusion and adoption process necessary for effective implementation. These attributes extrapolated from the review of literature and case study examination are both insightful and timely, since many educational institutions are currently implementing distance learning programs without a formal plan or vision. The study specified how an asynchronous program dealt with the diffusion and adoption process by providing a thorough examination of secondary documentation and archival record review, coupled with program interviews. Media for communicating information has expanded from simple print, voice, and face-to-face communications to include fax, voice mail, computer-assisted instruction, email, video and other technologies. These technologies are central to the mission of education. Institutions have entered the distance learning arena with the intent of capturing and attracting nontraditional students, as defined by age, marital status or employment status, to the academic market. Adoption and diffusion mechanisms focus on societal and customer needs. At institutions of higher learning, students are the customers and their academic needs should come first. The corporate sector is indirectly shaping education by hiring students who have acquired the skills needed to compete in the information age. Distance education must have an integrated strategic plan that successfully aligns all vital programs to support academic, industry and societal needs. Students and faculty must have easy access to information resources, support services, policies and procedures for distance education. The information resulting from this examination may facilitate adoption and diffusion of asynchronous distance learning programs. Based upon identified characteristics, the ancillary product of this case study was a compiled list and discussion of lessons learned, composed from the review of literature and case study examination. Key recommendations from the study, and substantiated in the review of literature, follow: • The case study had an adaptable infrastructure that changed with the times. • The purchase and use of distance learning technology was consistent with the strategic plan. • Participants had easy access and training to distance learning technology.
A Case Study on How Workers in a Fast-paced Environment Go Through the Knowledge Life Cycle When Dealing with Critical Incidents
Fowlin, Julaine M. (Virginia Tech, 2014-04-27)
21st century work environments are becoming more dynamic; they are fast-paced and require critical incidents to be dealt with in a shorter time frame. At the same time, in order for organizations to survive knowledge management (KM) systems need to be in place that allow organizations to learn from these incidents and use the knowledge gained to solve new problems. The knowledge life cycle consists of three phases: create, preserve, and disseminate. The knowledge life cycle also involves the transformation of knowledge from tacit to explicit, which is important to shift knowledge from the individual level to the organizational level; this represents a very important objective of KM. KM is not a domain on its own but intersects with other areas such as organizational learning, performance support, and communities of practice. Learning and performance support are among the concerns of practitioners in the sister fields of instructional design and technology (IDT) and human performance technology (HPT). Yet still, there are not many studies that examine KM through the lens of these professions. There is a need for knowledge to be accessible and for structures to be put in place to facilitate the knowledge life cycle. The purpose of this study was to explore how workers in a fast-paced environment go through the knowledge life cycle when dealing with critical incidents, and the factors that acted as driving and restraining forces. A single instrumental case study research design was used to study employees of a walk-in computer software help desk. The HPT model along with principles and procedures of critical incident technique were used to create a framework for data collection, which included interviews, a focus group session, and examination of extant data. Findings revealed that workers went through the knowledge life cycle by making internal and external connections and both organizational and individual factors impacted the flow of knowledge. A disconnection between available tools and work processes posed the greatest barrier to going through all the knowledge life cycle process.
A Case Study Using Scenario-Based Design Tools and Techniques in the Formative Evaluation Stage of Instructional Design: Prototype Evaluation and Redesign of a Web-Enhanced Course Interface
Turner, Sherri Guilliams (Virginia Tech, 1998-10-30)
A Case Study Using Scenario-based Design Tools and Techniques in the Formative Evaluation Stage of Instructional Design: Prototype Evaluation and Redesign of a Web-Enhanced Course Interface. The main purpose of this study was to augment the formative evaluation process of instructional design through the incorporation of scenario-based design tools and strategies that focus on interface design. The test population was students from undergraduate "human development" courses at Virginia Tech, approximately 250 students. One prototype of a course web interface was tested and revised based on data collected during the formative evaluation process. The scenario data provided rationale for redesign considerations.
The Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist: Occupational Responsibilities, Perceived Stressors, Coping Strategies, and Work Relationships
Perry, Tristan Roberts (Virginia Tech, 2002-11-06)
A qualitative inquiry was launched to explore occupational stress among Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs). Four research questions were posed: 1) What are the roles and responsibilities of the CRNAs as they see them? 2) What are the CRNAs perceived stressors encountered on the job? 3) What are their coping strategies related to the perceived stressors? 4) What is the relationship between CRNA job stress and interpersonal work connections? Twenty CRNAs, with varying anesthetic backgrounds, and 15 of their co-workers from North Carolina and Tennessee participated in the study. Semi-structured interviews, clinical observations, and artifact data (i.e., photographs) were employed to answer the research questions. The perceived occupational-related stressors that were recognized by the CRNAs pertain specifically to patient care, anesthesia work in general, interpersonal job relationships, inadequate surgical preparation, the operating room environment, and physical stressors. Staying focused upon the task at hand (i.e., patient care), the use of humor, verbalization and internalization of concerns, along with adopting personal hobbies were identified by the anesthetists as coping mechanisms to combat work-related stress. The participants take their professional duties to their patients and devotion to their fellow colleagues seriously - so much so that they rarely take vacation time or sick leave. After data analysis, six major themes surfaced: the role of being an attentive, reliable co-worker alleviates the antagonism found within OR relationships; maintaining open lines of communication is an effective way to address concerns and prevent staff conflict; among the CRNAs, occupational-related stressors create concern for patient safety; interpersonal work relations cause more stress than any of the other perceived job stressors; engaging in personal hobbies assists the CRNA in coping with work-related stress; and the nurse anesthetists' work lives are not as stressful as their personal lives. The answers to the research questions and the themes underscore the necessity that the shortage of Registered Nurses and anesthetists needs to be addressed in order to more effectively tackle the participants perceived stressors. In addition, employers can adopt concrete measures in assisting CRNAs with handling occupational stress, such as offering mandatory in-servicing and adequate time to attend in-servicing.
Changing Pedagogy: The Introduction of Experiential, Cooperative Learning and Interactive Multimedia into the Statics Learning Environment
Bavaro, M. Tina (Virginia Tech, 1996-08-02)
Teacher change is about moving from thought, feelings and an understanding of teaching and learning into action and practice (Fullan, 1982). This naturalistic case study describes the initial phases of the teacher change process resulting from the implementation of a restructured undergraduate statics engineering course. The investigation focused on the broad research question of what happens when an educator undertakes the teacher change process to allow himself to move away from what is familiar and known (i.e., the traditional pedagogy) into an unknown, new pedagogy. More specifically, the three research questions investigated by this study were : (a) what were the teacher's intentions for changing his pedagogy? (b) what were the actual teaching events over the course of the semester? (c) what were the participant's (i.e., the instructor, students, undergraduate teaching assistant and researchers) perceptions of the pedagogical change? The collection and analysis of the data occurred simultaneously throughout the Fall semester of 1995, and continued into April 1996. Data were collected from transcribed audio recordings of interviews with the instructor, selected students and the undergraduate teaching assistant,written field notes from observations, questionnaires, electronic mail exchanges, student minute papers, and other documents. The data were summarized and coded according to recurring words, phrases, sentences and paragraphs about the instructor's intent for his change in pedagogy, then organized into categories of three change foci : (a) experiential learning, (b) cooperative learning, and (c) interactive multimedia in order to correspond with his intent for the new statics learning environment. Data were displayed in charts and tables to determine issues related to change. The results of this study are presented in terms of a descriptive analysis of the initial teacher change process portrayed through the "multiple realities" of the participants who experienced the pedagogical change. Three issues were evident : (a) the problem of the simultaneous introduction of three new innovations (experiential, cooperative learning and the interactive multimedia), (b) the frustrations of the teacher change process, and (c) difficulties of a paradigm shift in pedagogy when the instructor commences to relinquish control in the new learning environment. Articulation of these issues helps to increase our understanding of the teacher change process and the need to enact change over time. Moreover, lessons learned from this study can serve as guidelines for future researchers in their efforts to study the change process. This study increases our understanding of the teacher change process particularly when one undertakes a paradigm shift in pedagogy.

Browsing by Author "Burton, John K."

Results Per Page

Sort Options