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A heuristic phenomenological approach drew out participants identified factors that initiated self-management of unhealthy weight-related chronic diseases; resulting in severity attenuation of current chronic disease(s) and lowered risk of comorbidity development. Prior to this study, there have been three omissions relating to older individuals who have unhealthy weight-related chronic diseases. First, direct first-person narratives of the process to self-management have not been reported. Second, the self-identification of the initiating factors leading to self-management has not been found in scholarly literature. Finally, cognitive reflection, an activity that results in paradigmatic shifts in adult behaviors has not been discussed from the first-person perspective (Cranton, 2006; Taylor, 2009; Taylor & Cranton, 2012). Narratives of 10 participants resulted in understanding the challenges of managing chronic health conditions and factors associated with self-management, from these first-person perspectives. Two themes of factors that initiated the self-management process were developed, emanating from each participant's conscious acknowledgment and acceptance of responsibility. The themes identified were (a) acknowledgment of the significant, 'last straw' diagnosis and (b) conscientiously accepting physical limitations resulting from respective chronic disease(s). It has been important to acknowledge the need for such a study from societal and personal perspectives. First, because individuals are living longer, the risk of developing chronic diseases such as hypertension, type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease is further enhanced if the individual has unhealthy weight (Ginsberg & MacCallum, 2009; Morrell, Lofgren, Burke, & Reilly, 2012). Voluntary lifestyle choices of poor nutrition and lack of routine physical activity significantly contribute to the etiology of unhealthy weight, while healthy weight can significantly reduce this risk and sustain and increase

"The Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education ("the Framework") may serve to influence academic library praxes. A total of 138 academic librarian participants were randomly selected (32 deans and 106 non-deans) from public and private institutions. The institutions spanned across six accrediting regions recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Participants completed a 22-item survey designed to elicit their perceptions of the Framework's impact. Professional position (deans or non-deans) was significantly correlated with the perceived level of impact that the Framework might have on library praxes. That is, deans tended to rate the Framework at a higher level of impact than non-deans. The final question on the survey was open-ended, asking participants to explain their rating of overall impact the Framework may have on library practices at their institutions. Qualitative coding of responses to the final question revealed three themes indicating advantages of the Framework, and twelve themes indicating challenges of the Framework. Findings from this study may be useful to academic librarians, discipline faculty, and other institutional stakeholders in determining how information literacy instruction is defined, promoted, and taught in higher education. Findings may also serve to initiate and illuminate conversations around the Framework, and how to approach possible implementation.

Debriefing was added to the design of an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) after second-year pharmacy students performed poorly at considering patient disability in planning for patient care. This mixed-methods study examines secondary data to explore whether and how the addition of a debriefing to an OSCE impacted pharmacy students' cultural sensitivity (CS). CS scores that rate students' consideration of disability in written SOAP notes improved significantly with the addition of debriefing. Overall performance of assessing the case and planning for care did not change significantly. Debriefing transcripts were examined for supplemental instruction they afforded students about patient care and CS. Segments of debriefing discussions were devoted to discussing the patient disability. Students' concerns in debriefings dealt largely with reviewing their interactions with patients, in particular the procedure of physical examinations, to improve in future practice. Surveys of students' experience with debriefings, using the Debriefing Experience Scale (Reed, 2012) had nearly full participation. Results suggest high student satisfaction with debriefing and slight improvement from fall to spring with the same students. However, survey results were weakly correlated with students' scores. Results from this study suggest that debriefing added to OSCEs did improve students' CS performance of CS in developing care plans for disabled patients. Longitudinal studies could determine transfer from such debriefings to practice, but existing literature suggests hopeful results. Despite apparent success of adding debriefing to an OSCE, more simulated experience and performance-based assessment besides summative OSCEs are needed to develop CS and other patient-care abilities.

How do undergraduate research programs act as effective agents of perspective transformation among underrepresented students? El Puente Fellows is an undergraduate research program that provides a space where underrepresented students are transformed. Its structure is designed to counter the negative Master Narrative at play for first generation, low income, and minority students in higher education. This study looked at the extent to which perspective transformative experiences were at play and guided students to greater academic, personal and professional goals in El Puente. Participants reported to be empowered as a result of the program and have higher levels of self-confidence regarding their education and future careers. The study also supports undergraduate research as a tool for transformative learning leading to the retention, graduation and transition of underrepresented students.

Using holistic grounded theory with participant selection through a self-designed survey, a preliminary theory and model of metamorphic learning for 16 adults who reported sudden, life-altering events emerged. Supporting the humanistic theoretical interpretations were the conceptual frameworks of transformative learning, Maslows hierarchy of needs, and positive psychology. An emic and in vivo definition led the findings about this complex, multi-faceted, and on-going learning event that profoundly impacted self-identity, direction, and quality of life. The event was a catalyst for a constructive learning, redefinition, and change process. Participants chose to confront and accept their changed reality first through critical reflection, after which positive attitudes started occurring and, second, individuated through self-examination. The majority reported a negative event but considered the learning outcomes to be positive. Impacts included a more present-focused orientation, healing, self-wisdom, changed priorities, and actualizing new roles, including mentoring and teaching others. 'Moving forward' was a guiding metaphor of strength through a process characterized by four types of learning: (1) epiphanic learning; (2) self-directed, discovery learning, also called social deconstructive unlearning and reconstruction; (3) metamorphic learning; and (4) continuous learning. The sudden realization shortly after the event may be a key impetus for what the majority expressed as a holistic growth or regeneration process, versus resilience. Because the clinical psychology concept of posttraumatic growth does not encompass a positive sudden, life-altering event, this researcher suggests a new construct of 'post-event redefinition. Implications include vicarious learning through storytelling.

This mixed-methods study evaluated the use of a mobile learning game as a pedagogical tool aimed at developing the listening comprehension strategies of college-level Spanish students. Eighty-three students of Spanish 202 (Intermediate Spanish II) played six levels of a mobile learning game designed to guide learners through the listening comprehension process while providing a low-risk practice space for second and foreign language (L2) listening. In order to evaluate change in listening comprehension awareness and perceived use of listening comprehension strategies, an analysis of pretest and posttest survey data was conducted. Additionally, analysis of exit questionnaires, participant interviews, and gameplay data were used to identify which specific aspects of the mobile learning game influenced the development of listening comprehension awareness and strategy use. Quantitative data, in the form of survey and questionnaire results, suggest that playing the game influenced development in perceived listening comprehension strategies use. The change in survey scores from the pretest to posttest was found to show statistical significance on both the overall score for strategy use as well as for three of four sub-sections of the survey that were coded to match instructional content from levels one, two, three, and four of the game. Qualitative data from individual interviews support this finding as well. Both the quantitative and qualitative data indicate that whiteboard animations, auditory vocabulary quizzing, and pair interaction with multiple exposure to the listening text were the game components that most influenced listening comprehension development. In terms of listening strategy awareness, the survey results showed little change from pretest to posttest. Similarly, interview data revealed little evidence of any increase in awareness after playing the game. Overall, the results of this study demonstrate that the use of mobile learning games can have a positi

Unknowingly, much of the population of the Western World are thinking machines who live and learn isolated from somatic experiences. They distrust their bodies in the learning process and are stuck living out unquestioned realities of embodied socioculturalism and rationalism which guide decision making, learning and ways of being. Considering a voice of the body involved delving into the physical dimension of somatic transformative learning from the bodily-lived experiences of seven women who were in a first-level experiential Nia® dancing and movement training program. Together, these women offered a voice of the body offering that phases of transformative learning was moving through processes of being stuck, self-allowing, coming to awareness and being connected within the context of learning by experience. Transformative learning processes were (re)living and trying-on felt-meanings of the lifeworld mirrored within personal experiencing spaces and the social experiencing space of the training. Engaging the human body in transformative learning was learning by experiencing the body as a site of knowing and learning, capable of generating dilemmas, breakthroughs, and shifting perspectives. Accessing somatic knowledge were other ways of knowing about unconscious habits and meaning-making, offering a somatic perspective for a more inclusive theory of adult transformative learning.

This phenomenological study explored how undergraduate professors from a large Carnegie Very High and High research university in the southwest demonstrated passion through their teaching as experienced and identified by students. The research comprised of interviewing and observing 6 undergraduate identified passionate professors on passion in teaching. Data was collected from a student survey which identified the passionate professors and focus group that reviewed and commented on the emergent themes from the data. This study aimed to answer the following research questions: 1) What constitutes/makes a passionate professor? 2) How is the perceived passion experienced by the student? 3) Do students learn more as result of a passionate professor? 4) According to the passionate professor - Is passion innate? Is it learned? 5) How important is passion in the teaching profession? The phenomenon of passion in education has been a widely studied field, yet mostly limited to K-12 educational areas. This research begins to address a gap in the literature on passion in teaching in higher education, specifically undergraduate education. Recommendations are made to further advance the research in passion in teaching for higher education.

Academic integrity (AI) and academic dishonesty (AD) have been intensified areas of concern in higher education. This research study explored issues of students AD at the University of New Mexico (UNM). With the rise in academic dishonesty, this study was conducted with the intention of determining how AD can be deterred or discouraged. Students were asked questions regarding their previous cheating behavior, their future cheating behavior, and the reasons why they did or will cheat. The demographics of academic major (business, education, engineering, and social science), gender (male and female), or race (White and Hispanic) were studied to determine if they affect their AD. In addition, UNM, was compared to other Carnegie Very High and High Research (CHR) institutions and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) to explore if these unique categories make a difference in the responses for the research questions. Based on the results of the study, recommendations were made for interventions to deter academic dishonesty. A model of Students' Academic Experience (SAE) and Academic Dishonesty (AD) with Interventions (labeled the KAE model or 'K Model') is shown.

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors that affect the telemedicine adoption rate by mental health professionals in Veterans Affairs. The research study involved psychiatrists, psychologist, primary care providers, clinical social workers, and other mental health professionals from VA medical centers and Community-Based Outpatient Clinics that have experience in telemedicine or are about to use telemedicine. Rogers theory of diffusion of innovations provided a framework for analysis of the diffusion of innovation at a complex systems level taking into account the differences in users' rate of adoption.

The purpose of safety training is to avoid or at least decrease the number of work-related accidents and deaths. This study was concerned with the role that native language plays in effective training of adult construction workers in New Mexico. Specifically, this study examined workers and trainers' perceptions of the effectiveness of safety training as these perceptions relate to language and cultural considerations. Bilingual safety training is often ineffective because the trainers are limited in their use of the second language. In some cases, individuals without a true grasp of the second language become trainers due to the large demand for bilingual trainers in what may be lucrative job opportunities. In other cases, trainers may be competent in both languages on a social level, but are not able to convey accurately technical information. Four instruments were used: Questionnaire for Workers, Questionnaire for Trainers, Cuestionario para Trabajadores, and Cuestionario para Entrenadores. Each questionnaire had two sections. The first section asked a series of demographic and contextual questions; the second section asked the two groups, workers and trainers, for levels of agreement with safety training statements. A comments section at the end of the survey encouraged participants to offer suggestions for improvements and/or include any general remarks. This exploratory study of the relationships between language, culture, safety, and training in the construction workforce in New Mexico provides a solid basis for further research and also may be utilized as a tool to raise awareness of trainers and companies of the importance of health and safety training. Most importantly, qualified trainers who understand the principles of andragogy are needed. The ANSI Standard Z490.1 includes all aspects of adult education and provides guidance as to how to implement effective training. The conclusions of the study have clear policy implications, which are discussed in det

The purpose of this study is to understand the importance of e-mentoring and the role it plays in social construction of knowledge in online learning environments. Very little research that specifically focuses on the role of e-mentoring has been done. Both qualitative and quantitative research has shown that good mentoring programs can lead to greater productivity and satisfaction in the work place. However, most research on mentoring is focused on face to face traditional mentoring. E-mentoring offers the opportunity to mentor individuals in a virtual environment through synchronous and asynchronous computer mediated communication. This study looked at transcripts generated from an online cross-cultural problem solving activity where the participants were mentored by e-mentors both internationally and locally and tried to establish the importance of e-mentor roles in the social construction of knowledge.

As the population in the United States becomes more diverse, communities are increasingly experiencing disparities in health care quality that follow racial and ethnic lines. It has been documented that improving health care providers' intercultural communication is one way to help reduce these health disparities. This study investigated the intercultural communication practices of employees at a large teaching hospital in the Southwest that is actively working to reduce health disparities in its community. Recognizing the influence of organizational culture on communication in a workplace, this study looked not only at communication practices, but also at organizational culture and at diversity training as an artifact of organizational culture. This study used the intercultural praxis framework as a theoretical foundation and investigated the utility of the framework in this organizational setting. Both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods were used to explore employees' intercultural communication practices. Hospital texts including website text, newsletters, and diversity training materials were analyzed to determine whether the hospital's organizational culture supported intercultural communication practices. A survey instrument designed to measure the use of intercultural praxis modes was developed and distributed to a random sample of hospital employees to determine what communication practices employees use and whether there is a difference between the practices of employees who have and have not completed diversity training. This study sought not only to understand what communication practices are used, but also how they are used. Employees' narratives were analyzed using a critical incident survey to investigate how intercultural communication practices are used in this organization and how organizational members define culture. Results indicate that the organizational culture at this hospital is supportive of several intercultural communica

While the construct of emotional intelligence (EI), has been researched and discussed for nearly 25 years, most research of this variable has been done within traditional learning and workplace environments, namely face-to-face settings (Rudestam & Schoenholtz-Read, 2009), not the online learning environment, where, over the last ten plus years, education has largely been focused (Allen & Seaman, 2013). Mortiboys (2012), along with Powell and Kusuma-Powell (2010), found that successful college faculty tend to possess high levels of trait EI in traditional or face-to-face classroom settings, and yet, to date, very few similar studies have been conducted with faculty teaching in an online setting. This study sought to determine whether a relationship existed between self- assessed EI scores of university faculty members teaching at least one course online and their own job satisfaction levels. This study also sought to explore EI and job vii satisfaction scoring differences tied to the gender of the online instructors, utilizing the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire short form (Petrides and Furnham, 2004) and the Job Satisfaction Survey (Spector, 1985). A sample of 72 faculty members that taught at least one course in an online format agreed to complete a self-report instrument. Data was analyzed using simple correlations and grounded theory principles (Glaser and Strauss, 1967). Deductive reasoning was applied to the original research questions and quantitative results and inductive reasoning to assess the qualitative responses. Results indicated that trait emotional intelligence is only slightly, positively linked to faculty job satisfaction levels, more so for females than males. An analysis of statistically signi cant correlations at the factor level was also conducted. The study concludes with a discussion of results, limitations and implications for future research in this area.

As the complexity of change efforts increases in healthcare organizations, the demands on leadership increase, as well. This study examines the experience of the leaders who implemented the Emergency Department Patient Navigation (EDPN) program at Presbyterian Healthcare Services (PHS). Utilizing a case study methodology to interview 12 participants, open-ended questions captured in-depth descriptions of what participants learned as they led a successful change effort. Findings emerged in three categories: Personal Shift to Agreement, Success Factors, and Leadership Characteristics. Personal Shift to Agreement was used to describe the difference between the prior state and the end state. Terms used to describe what caused the shift include trust, leadership, communication and a focus on the patient. What emerged as significant factors supporting the success of the program are the use of an enterprise approach, leader modeling, the importance of making difficult decisions, the navigator role, and physician involvement. Key Leadership Characteristics identified by participants as important to have demonstrated personally were adaptability, innovation, and collaboration. Analysis demonstrates that the program was led utilizing effective change methodology, thus creating transformational changes in patient care, and in transformation in the personal leadership of several participants (Kotter 1996). The role of the physicians in development of the program demonstrated effective use of the social networks, specifically as Opinion Leaders (Rogers, 2002). Effective use of Distributed Cognition (Hutchins, 1995) to develop the solutions allowed the team to create an environment that brought the strength of the enterprise to bear on the national problem of wait times in an Emergency Department (ED).

The purpose of this study was to outline the development of mentoring in the fields of business, education, and psychology over the past three decades. With the aim of revealing an organized framework of the theory and practice of adult mentoring in academic and workplace contexts, a systematic review of 25 books and 80 articles published in peer-reviewed journals between 1978 and 2012 was analyzed using two methodological approaches: qualitative meta-summary and qualitative meta-synthesis. Through the analysis of published literature, this study provides a taxonomy of evidence-based mentoring best practices for the creation and maintenance of exemplary formal adult mentoring programs.

The History and Examination of the Shaken Baby Project looks at the use of a Child Abuse prevention program at a Southwestern Community Hospital. The origination of the program is researched that uncovers the inception of the curriculum used in the medical facility. The Administrative and Hospital Staff are surveyed to determine their viewpoint to the programs effectiveness to participating parents. The data from the surveys was extracted to determine the Administrative and Hospital staff currant relationship to the implementation of curriculum.

Research has shown that few educational reform efforts have achieved significant, long-lasting improvement in student achievement. In order to accelerate growth in student achievement, many researchers have advocated the development of cultures of evaluative inquiry. In a culture of evaluative inquiry, teachers use data to identify instructional areas in which their students struggled, collaboratively reflect on their instructional practice in those areas, and experiment with new practices related to those areas. Through an iterative process of collaboratively framing the problem and exploring possible solutions, team members not only arrive at a defensible solution to test through active experimentation, but they also develop their own mental models. Observations, interviews, and document reviews were utilized to answer the central question of this study: How do staff members of a public elementary school develop a culture of evaluative inquiry? This case study documented the actions the Instructional Leadership Team, four grade level teams, and the bilingual program team took to develop a culture of evaluative inquiry from July of 2008 through May of 2010 at North Mesa Elementary School and profiled the perceptions of staff members towards this initiative. The results indicated that instances of significant learning and changes of practice were evident but the staff was not successful in fully developing and sustaining a culture of evaluative inquiry. While explicit Evaluation Capacity Building activities faltered, staff members did acquire some evaluative inquiry skills through engaging in the process. A number of challenges were encountered including a lack of shared sense of urgency, a lack of shared vision, a lack of psychological safety within some teams, insufficient communication, and incomplete implementation of standards-based instruction. The study concluded that a shared vision, a focus on standards, learning and results, a collaborative culture, aligne

In today's world, organizational change is inevitable for organizations and for the employees who support and labor for that organization (Goodstein & Burke, 2005; Leana & Barry, 2000). How employees perceive initiated changes will impact if and when they adopt the change, and how they participate in the change. The role of long-tenured employees in organizational change efforts has not been studied sufficiently. The assumption that long-tenured employees resist change and have lower productivity (Auer, Berg & Coulibaly, 2004) is juxtaposed against the assertion in the literature that it is these long-term employees who move into change because they feel comfortable taking risks and need opportunity for growth (Cunningham, Woodward, Shannon, MacIntosh, Lendrum, Rosenbloom, & Brown, 2002; Haveman, 1995). Thus, organizations may not have been capitalizing on their long-tenured employees' energies to spur change initiatives (Auer, Berg, & Coulibaly, 2004). This study identifies how long-term employees respond and contribute to change efforts. Employees who had more than 25 years of experience in an academic medical center participated in data collection. Thirty-five participants completed the Cynicism about Organizational Change survey (Reichers, Wanous, and Austin, 1997), five participated in a focus group, 14 individual interviews and 13 priority card sort participants resulted in five findings. Long-term employees act as informal leaders and influencers to get others involved with change, they will get on board with change even if they disagree with the change, they want to be informed of changes and have input to change efforts. Additionally, long-term employees drive change and engage in change targeted at theories in action. Recommendations for organizations to capitalize on their long-term employees contributions during change efforts result directly from these five findings. They include informing employees of the change, asking for their input toward the chang

Given the call for change in medical school curriculum towards a more humanistic approach, it remains clear that there is an urgent need to study the effects of personal development classes on medical students skill level. Using participants from an ethical influence communications class, this study explored the impact of the use of reflection on personal awareness and professional competence skills in second and third year medical students. A total of 230 reflection papers from 46 medical students were analyzed using CAQDAS — computer assisted qualitative data analysis system-- with Atlas ti 6.2. Personal interviews (n=11) followed for clarification and verification of results. Analysis showed that reflection papers proved to be an effective way to measure changes in self-development levels as well as some of the dimensions of professional competence skills required for graduating medical students. Students reported an appreciation and a strong desire for increased classes on personal awareness as well as insight into the results on communication skills of a medical curriculum based on a strictly medical model. The reflection papers allowed some students to vi \u2015have a voice\u2016 in a system, they felt, where they were not heard. Many students reported an increased awareness of viewing the patient as individuals, vs. the \u2015uniform patient,\u2016 as a result of learning about themselves. Several students suggested a need for advanced communication classes to develop the skill level they felt they needed to deal with public expectations. Interestingly, all graduating students interviewed, who applied the content of the class to the final assignment of writing an application to a residency program, were admitted into their first program of choice. Findings from this study may provide suggestions on incorporating personal and self-development classes into a medical school curriculum. Using a case study approach, this qualitative exploratory study offers

Given the increasingly complex and fluid nature of organizations today, there is an urgent need to study the role that leadership can play in helping organizations to successfully navigate through difficult and turbulent times. This dissertation investigated the journey of six participants who served as leaders in organizations during periods of change and turmoil. An interpretive phenomenological approach was the primary method of data collection, analysis, and interpretation used to organize the data gathered primarily through interviews with the participants. Personal experience, as well as current leadership and change theories served as the background and frame of reference for this study. Extensive interviews were conducted with each participant. The transcripts from those interviews were carefully analyzed, resulting in a rich description of each individual lived experience. Finally, the individual lived experiences of the participants were analyzed in order to arrive at a composite review, or universal experience, of the participants. Key findings indicated that a leaders worldview is a significant determining factor in their responses to the interview questions. Some common leadership qualities that emerged from the data include: embracing change, collaboration, effective communication, thinking globally, developing others, managerial courage, and ongoing reflection. Additional results pointed to the importance of transparency, dialogue, accountability and inclusivity in an organization, especially during periods of change. Finally, the results suggest that a successful leader appreciates the value of networking, willpower, flexibility, and creative chaos in the organizations that they manage. This exploratory study warrants further investigation, especially regarding the influence of empowerment, managerial courage, reflection, systems-thinking, and creative chaos in organizations. Findings from this study may also provide leaders with suggestions on how t

It is argued that today's scarcity of computer tools compatible with human experience derives from an antiquated dualistic model of mind, as passed down through the mid-20th century, during the early development of the computer and artificial intelligence, and up to the present day. Rather than settle for technology as inevitable and instead of depending upon worldviews that are no longer aligned with current empirical findings on human cognition, this thesis renders a broad imperative for a design theory informed by an ecological understanding of mind in society, with a worldview that reflects the historical development of technology as tools, not objects. The search for such design principles begins as an examination of earlier technologies, what has been learned from their development, as well as from established theories of mind from cognitive science and what they reveal about human cognition. A theoretical critique is presented that claims empirical findings from cognitive science are rarely used to design those technologies intended to assist with thinking tasks, specifically computers and computer tools. All of these preliminary investigations clear the way to a larger Theory of Pattern in technology design.

Thousands of international ESL students come to the United States every year to learn English for the purpose of matriculating into an American university. Teaching these diverse students can be a challenge for educators and despite the students significant investment of time and money, many of them are inadequately prepared for the demands of university work. Text chat has been studied by some scholars as a means of assisting ESL students to write more effectively. However, greater understanding is needed of the affective experiences and perceptions of students toward peer-to-peer ESL text chat. That is the thrust of this study, which utilized Livemocha, a free international text chat program. Several striking findings were made, two of which were that all students reported enjoyment of the text chat experience and all students reported increased confidence to write in English as a result of their participation in the research. This study draws heavily on the sociocultural theory of Lev Vygotsky, especially his theories of the zone of proximal development and perezhivanie. His work illuminates the findings of this study and the study also demonstrates the vitality of Vygotsky's thought in the 21 st century. In addition to providing insight into students' perspectives on peer-to-peer ESL text chat, a valuable tool to increase students' confidence to write in English has been made known.'

This qualitative research investigation was designed to understand the transformational learning experiences among Latinas in academia and how these experiences affect their academic experience and teaching styles. Specifically, the following research questions were addressed: (1) How do Latinas that reach a tenure status interpret their journey and experiences within academia? (2) How do they describe organizational culture in which they work and teach? (3) What types of leadership skills do they possess? (4) How do they describe their experiences in relation to their larger community? Latina women that have reached a tenure status are extremely committed to improving the plight of the marginalized, are dedicated to changing the organization, encourage diversity, and promote social change. Despite the challenging journey through academia, the Latina women displayed a resilient attitude, and described the process as truly transformative. Their experiences provided them with skills to subvert sub-oppressive tactics and to challenge the system to instill fair and equitable educational practices. Negative perceptions of women of color in academia continue to prevail and universities continue to reify socially constructed race and gender theories. Diversity programs have a large impact on student outcomes and success but are subject to budget cuts. A review of the admissions criteria and the long-term impact and benefit of diversity programs are recommended, as well as an analysis of the relationships among academic leaders and the impact on educational policy.

Student achievement on the Jump$tart (or JumpStart) financial literacy assessment forms the basis for the Presidents Advisory Council's declaration that America's high school graduates are not financially literate and as a result, America's financial markets and standard of living are at risk. Their recommendations to address this problem include compulsory financial literacy education for all Americans. The espoused normative economic policy goal of compulsory financial literacy education is increased wealth for all Americans. The purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which the Jump$tart assessment measures knowledge that leads to increased national wealth. I researched the evolution of our economic paradigm over time to determine how wealth is created. From my study of the Socratic dialogue Oeconomicus, the work of philosophers from the Age of Enlightenment including Adam Smith and Jean Jacque Rousseau, Alfred Marshall, and contemporary philosopher Thomas S. Kuhn, I sought to discover how humankind is thought to increase wealth, health, societal welfare and social justice for all people. From that research it became evident that the only method of increasing national wealth is through improving a society's breadth and scope of knowledge of man's environment and of man himself. My analysis of the Jump$tart assessment reveals that the authors of the test did not draw on the collective knowledge of economists and philosophers in preparing the exam. Instead, they assess the extent to which students memorized a few economic rules-of-thumb and the names and attributes of products offered by the financial services firms who are the benefactors of the Jump$tart organization.'

The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the learning styles and delivery mode preferences in hospitality training. The delivery modes were online, using Centra\u2122, and traditional training or face to face workshop. Data was collected from participants (n=79) in training within a large hospitality organization over a total of 11 workshops, 6 traditional, 5 online. This study examined how best to use the results in training at the instructional system design level to help deliver the appropriate training delivery modes. There were a total of four research questions analyzed. A correlational analysis, independent t-test and 2x1 ANOVAs were used to analyze the appropriate research question. Index for Learning Styles (ILS) was used to determine the learning styles of the participants, pretest and posttest measured the learning and additional demographic questions were asked. There has been literature studying delivery modes in university classrooms, yet there is a gap in real practice research within the hospitality organization.

The purpose of this study was to explore the metaphors and cognitively structured metaphors older adult students of the Baby Boomer generation use when discussing their experiences of beginning a bachelors program. Research regarding the cognitive abilities of older adult students was explored. A phenomenological approach was used employing open-ended questions during a single interview designed to elicit information about four areas of interest: support systems, motivation, expectations and a comparison of this experience to another life experience. The analysis of students' responses identified figurative metaphors and metonymy. Qualitative analysis was applied to the data, followed by identifying cognitive metaphors and synecdoche. Themes and patterns to the responses to the four areas of interest were identified. Five major themes also emerged: challenges, transformation, self-efficacy, resilience and desire. The study demonstrates the power added to a qualitative study when including the analysis of cognitively structured metaphors. The findings have implication to colleges and universities that are committed to helping older adult students be successful.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of high school teachers regarding social presence in online instruction. Participants were nine teachers, all new to teaching online. The influence of an Online Social Presence Rubric was studied along with other variables that affected understanding of social presence during one teaching semester. Five primary questions guided the research with the intention of furthering knowledge about social phenomena in the field of online education: (I) What do teachers identify as the central constructs to social presence; (II) How does the Online Social Presence Rubric affect teachers understanding of social presence; (III) In what ways do teachers perceive, use or adopt the rubric as an instructional tool; (IV) What other variables influence the teachers' perceptions and practices of social presence; and (V) What did teachers learn about social presence after teaching their first online course? Participants were experienced classroom teachers in a large urban school district who were part of a high school's transition to online course delivery. The research design compared analysis in semi-structured and open interview questions before and after the online classes were taught. Observation of each online class within the learning management system took place at the end of the semester. Due to the exploratory nature of this research, the small number of participants and its specific geographic context, this study offers only descriptive and speculative findings on how teacher social perceptions influence design and instructional practices. The findings included what teachers learned after a significant loss in social presence occurred during instruction and includes suggestions for improving social presence in online courses.

The purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics of continuing professional education, professional development, and other growth activities that most heavily influence the practice of school social workers. It was a qualitative study framed by heuristic inquiry using in depth interviews with twenty participants from two western states. A theoretical model emerged based on three components: the context of practice, contextual learning, and practice behaviors. All three components had the same three attributes: prior learning experiences, outside learning experiences, and the personal qualities of practitioners. Two important findings were that when the participants covered only one school and were funded by multiple sources, they were able to conduct more systemically-oriented interventions than would otherwise have been possible.

Technology and knowledge seem to be at hand for everyone, but evidence shows that both still are eluding us. The University of Guadalajara (UDG) as well as other higher education institutions create knowledge from research on a daily basis. Nevertheless, in UDG there is not a system that promotes creation, preservation, and sharing of knowledge created experiences from research work among faculty members. Nonaka and Takeuchis Theory of Spiral Knowledge Creation had used as theorical foundation for the present study. This theory proposes that tacit knowledge is transformed into explicit knowledge creating new knowledge among members of an organization through for types of knowledge conversion: Externalization, socialization, Combination and Internalization. At the University of Guadalajara-South Coast campus, a virtual community was created in a Wiki website, which was used as a Knowledge Management System (KMS) tool for collaboration and experiences interchange among its members to promote knowledge creation when conducting research. The Wiki contained a set of 27 topics related to research issues previously posted. For three months its members were able to post questions, answers and/or replies on corresponding topics. Findings suggest that the Virtual of Community is comprised of one or two leaders and its followers. They also suggest for a knowledge item to be created in the Wiki what matters is not how interesting the subject matter but how actively members participate on the discussion. Evidence from the study suggests that informal knowledge is created and shared among the members of the Virtual Community, although it does not follow the strict sequence of knowledge conversion of Nonaka and Takeuchi's (1995) creation spiral theory of knowledge. Furthermore, evidence also suggests that for successful KMS important characteristics such as shared culture, internet tool knowledge, and members' identity disclosure are needed. Questions have arisen from this study w