A Convergence of Conceptual Frameworks: Neurocognitive, Metacognitive and Social Cultural Techniques in Vocabulary Teaching and Learning

Eshghavi, Malihe ProQuest Dissertations & Theses University of San 2020 해외박사(DDOD)

This mixed methods study investigated the effectiveness of neurocognitive, metacognitive and sociocultural techniques in vocabulary instruction at the high-intermediate level of English as a second language learners’ vocabulary learning and recall at a community college in Northern California. While previous studies offered and demonstrated different methods, those studies emphasized only one particular vocabulary learning modality. As a result, most ESL learners learn vocabulary passively but not actively. No study has proposed to explore the inclusion of the neurocognitive, metacognitive and sociocultural techniques on vocabulary learning and recall, in order to analyze the resulting effects of these proposed instruction techniques among community college students.Utilizing a mixed methods approach, 51 ESL students, including 27 students in the experimental group and 24 students in the control group, participated in this study. The experimental group was taught the target words based on neurocognitive, metacognitive and sociocultural techniques; the control group received the target words based on a traditional method. Split-plot ANOVA and Independent t-sample tests were used to analyze the pre-test and post-test data. Learners’ attitudes and perceptions towards the inclusion of neurocognitive, metacognitive and sociocultural techniques were examined through a questionnaire and interviews.The quantitative findings revealed a statistically significant difference in gain score means between the control and experimental groups. Qualitative findings revealed that the experimental group noticed improvement in their vocabulary learning and recall as a result of efficiently utilizing the proposed techniques. Thus, the qualitative and quantitative findings converged and suggested a new conceptual framework in the field of second language acquisition. Based on the evidence of this dissertation’s research, the inclusion of neurocognitive, metacognitive and sociocultural techniques had positive effects on the community college ESL students’ vocabulary learning and helped them to use the study’s target words actively in their writing and speaking. This study has implications for the fields of research methods and ESL vocabulary instruction. More research on the inclusion of neurocognitive, metacognitive and sociocultural techniques in instruction for different age ranges and different ESL group levels would further expand the current findings of the effects of the vocabulary technique instruction and to identify curricular implications.

Harry Potter and Queering the College Classroom

Yanow, Hannah ProQuest Dissertations & Theses University of San 2019 해외박사(DDOD)

This dissertation reimagines the college classroom through a queer pedagogical practice that, I argue, results in a queer space. Through a mixed method study that utilized duoethnography and student survey, I find that queer pedagogy, or the resistance of heteronormativity, challenging binaries, welcoming the student’s lived experience as fodder for learning academic concepts, paired with a beloved fantasy text such as Harry Potter, can be a medium with which to deconstruct the traditional college classroom and reconstruct a queer space that encourages student self-authorship and questioning of the traditional hierarchy in higher education. The data suggests that queering the college classroom in these ways increases students’ feeling of belonging and ownership of their education, encourages sitting in discomfort and not-knowing, invites student-led discussion and revelation, increases learning and retention, and is pedagogically effective in addressing societal concepts around marginalization, biases, oppression, and socially constructed binaries. This dissertation is an invitation to students to own their learning process, and for faculty to re-evaluate their pedagogical practices and choice of text.

Teaching Solidarity: Popular Education in Grassroots U.S. Social Movements

Lafore, Tenaya Summers ProQuest Dissertations & Theses University of San 2022 해외박사(DDOD)

Fifty years after he wrote Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1970), Brazilian educator Paulo Freire’s work is as relevant as ever. But while many of Freire’s ideas are well known in the United States, there is limited research on their application in social movement settings, a practice commonly known as popular education. This comparative case study draws on Freire’s theory of popular education to analyze two U.S.-based grassroots education programs, one with low-income residents in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco and one with front-line hospital and public school employees on the East Coast. Through six months of participant observation and over 50 interviews with facilitators and participants, the study finds that the two programs carved out spaces that were relatively independent from union and non-profit hierarchies, which enabled them to apply popular education’s radically democratic principles within their organizing work and larger social struggles. These findings point to the possibility that popular education can offer participants not only knowledge and skills but also–and perhaps more importantly–strengthened connections across divisions, confidence that they can make change, and the courage to organize. The dissertation also expands on commonly understood meanings of “critical consciousness,” arguing that what moves people to action may be not only their intellectual understanding of power, but also an increased solidarity that gives them an awareness of their collective historical agency. Finally, the study identifies tensions in the programs, for example related to funding constraints, that at times interfered with facilitators’ abilities to apply the radical principles of popular education. These findings speak to the value of a reflective practice on the part of practitioners, and highlight the ongoing significance of Freirean popular education in U.S. social movement contexts.

Covariates of Return of Spontaneous Circulation (ROSC) in Adults

Lang, Dorothy Scyoc ProQuest Dissertations & Theses University of San 2019 해외박사(DDOD)

Background: Despite advancements in resuscitation efforts, sudden cardiac arrest remains the third leading cause of death in the United States, with approximately 200,000 adult cardiac arrests occurring in the hospital setting. Nearly 50% of the patients who experience an in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) achieve a return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC); nonetheless, only 20% of IHCA patients survive to hospital discharge. With these compromised outcomes, it is important to understand the numerous factors surrounding resuscitation efforts for in-patient cardiac arrest. The conceptual framework comprises pre-arrest and intra-arrest variables influence on the survival outcome of ROSC. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between risk factors (time of day of arrest, day of the week of arrest, patient characteristics [age and gender], shockable rhythm, code nurse experience) and ROSC for patients who experienced an inpatient cardiac arrest. Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional design. Two secondary data sets provided data for this study. Data set 1 contained resuscitation data of patients who had experienced an IHCA at a southern California tertiary academic medical center between July 2014 and October 2016; data set 2 contained code nurse experience variables. Data analyses included descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: 307 cardiac arrests: 63.2% occurred during the week, 57% during the day, 63.2% male, and 81.1% were non-shockable rhythms. Code nurses primarily had expert levels of experience for years as a nurse (n = 257, 83.7%) and ART training (n = 192, 62.5%). Patients achieved ROSC 78.5% (n = 241) of the time. Logistic regression containing 3 independent variables (age, gender, and shockable rhythm) trended toward being statistically reliable distinguishing ROSC [-2 LogLikehood = 312.214, chi2(3), = 7.364, p < 0.061], shockable rhythm was 2.6 times more likely to achieve ROSC than non-shockable rhythms. Implications: Advances in improving IHCA survival outcomes continue, nonetheless, large numbers of annual arrests suggest there is still substantial room for improvement. This study found the only factor that influenced a patient's survival is whether they presented with a shockable rhythm during the arrest. Study limitations support future research is warranted to replicate and identify other related factors with larger samples.

Remifentanil Patient Controlled Analgesia Use in Laboring Women: A Feasibility and Acceptability Study

Carr, Joshua A ProQuest Dissertations & Theses University of San 2022 해외박사(DDOD)

Background/Purpose: Interest in remifentanil patient controlled analgesia (RPCA) as a treatment for labor pain has increased due to its unique pharmacodynamics and effectiveness on pain control among parturients. Despite its promise, RPCA remains infrequently used in the US. The purpose of this study was to 1) examine the implementation and acceptability of a new RPCA protocol in the labor and delivery ward of a mid-sized hospital, and 2) identify the attitudes and beliefs of healthcare workers in a real-world clinical setting. The holistic nature of Comfort Theory can account for the proposed mechanisms contributing to the success of RPCA for labor pain. Method: Mixed methods approach. Quantitative. Data were extracted from electronic health records and provider interviews. Parturients sorted in one of three groups, (1) no opioid (n=83), (2) traditional opioid (n=48), and (3) RPCA 9 (n=13), were compared on pain scores, side effects, and adverse events. Results: Both traditional opioid administration and RPCA showed significant reduction in pain scores when measured against the no opioid group using the Mann-Whitney U (Z = -3.514, p < 0.001; Z = -2.064, p = 0.039). Chi square analysis indicated grouping was associated with increased likelihood of receiving treatment for nausea and vomiting (χ2 = 21.178, p < 0.001, df = 2) and desaturation events (χ2 = 53.394, p < 0.001, df = 2). No significant association was seen with pruritis treatment (χ2 = 5.264, p = 0.072, df = 2) or lower APGAR score (χ2 = 1.329, p = 0.515, df = 2).Qualitative investigation was based in the phenomenological method via individual semi-structured interviews (n=8) to gain an understanding of providers’ attitudes toward labor pain management, approach to labor pain management, and perceived or actual barriers to the implementation of the novel RPCA technique. Four themes emerged: Respect for Choice, Shielding from Family Influence, Barriers to the Implementation of a New Technique, and Overall Satisfaction with RPCA.Conclusions and Implications: RPCA was supported by staff members at this clinical site, an indicator effective education and implementation plans are likely to achieve support. Recommendations for practice are discussed.

Understanding the Perspectives, Practices, and Expectations of Korean American Parents toward the Heritage Language Education of Their Children

Choi, Yunhee ProQuest Dissertations & Theses University of San 2022 해외박사(DDOD)

The purpose of this qualitative study, conducted with parents of a Bay Area Korean school, was to explore how Korean American parents perceive, practice, and expect from the heritage language education of their children. The parents shared their experiences as Korean immigrants in raising their children in two languages. First, a survey was distributed and collected to apprehend the demographics of 24 Korean American parents in a West Coast metropolitan area who sent their children to a Korean heritage language school on weekends. Then one-on-one in-depth interviews were conducted with seven of these parents. Seven themes emerged from the data: 1) the importance of the parental role in heritage language education, 2) maintaining the Korean language and ethnic identity, 3) limited exposure to the Korean language, 4) positive feelings towards the Korean culture and language, 5) no strict family language policy, 6) no high expectations for heritage language learning, and 7) diminishing the Korean language use with the start of schooling. Even though the parents regarded heritage language maintenance as important for their children and viewed their parental role was significant, they did not impose a strict family language policy. The underlying reason for this discrepancy in their perceptions, expectations, and practices could be the wish for their children to learn the Korean language someday primarily in order to maintain their Korean identity.

Transitions in Palliative Care: Referral Time and Healthcare Utilization in Advanced Stage Colon, Rectal and Lung Cancer Patients

Lawani, Ann O ProQuest Dissertations & Theses University of San 2022 해외박사(DDOD)

Background: Extant research shows advanced stage cancer patients receive aggressive treatments, within the last 30 days of life. Despite lung, colon, and rectal cancer being the leading and third leading cause of cancer-related death respectively, few studies have examined Palliative Care Consultation (PCC) on healthcare utilization (HCU) in individuals with advanced stage diagnosis in this disease cohort. Purpose: To examine the relationship among select socio-demographics, clinical characteristics, HCU, PCC time, and PCC to death for patients with PCC compared to no PCC, in a cancer patient cohort at an advanced stage in their disease process. Theoretical/Conceptual Framework: Transition in the context of health is a “passage or movement from one state, condition, or place to another.Methods: Retrospective, cohort design. Data were extracted from the EHR of a convenience sample (N = 95), of decedent adults aged 21 and older, diagnosed with stage III and IV colon, rectosigmoid junction, bronchus/lung cancer, 2019-2020. Descriptive and inferential analyses.Results: Bronchus/lung cancer, accounted for 74.7% (n = 71) of the sample; colon, rectosigmoid junction, 25.3% (n = 24); 80% (n = 76) diagnosed stage IV, 20% (n = 19) stage III. Mean number of days from first PCC to death was 10 days; stage IV had fewer days from diagnosis to death (DTD). Patients with PCC, 445 days (n = 85) DTD, compared to 320 days no PCC (n = 10). Whites more likely to get PCC; had more days from DTD, compared to Hispanic or “other race.” Mean number of ED, hospital, and clinic visits (3.72 visits) reduced after PCC (0.16 visits); acute care LOS (6.97 days) reduced after PCC (0.76 days); and ICU LOS (4.55 days) reduced after PCC (0.51 days). Implications for Nursing Research: Preventable hospital admissions are often a consequence of poorly managed transitions in the illness trajectory. Delayed PCC leads to burdensome transitions for patients and their families. Clinicians need to become more confident in having PC discussions. To ensure timely referrals/consultations and remove the possibility of inequity in the referral process, a referral criterion for patients with advanced cancer diagnosis automating a trigger system is recommended.

The Significance of Jesuit Educational Institution in the Reconstruction of Postcolonial and Post-Conflict East Timor

Martins, Plinio do Rosario Gusmao dos Reis ProQuest Dissertations & Theses University of San 2021 해외박사(DDOD)

East Timor, as a postcolonial and post-conflict country, has striven to develop its educational system for almost two decades after its independence in 2002. The current educational system with the Portuguese language as the medium of instruction has been a challenge for teachers and students in the teaching and learning process. The fact that teachers and students are still using Tetum as a supplementary language to explain and express ideas shows that the educators and learners are still struggling with Portuguese despite the efforts of East Timor government to bridge the language gap.Teachers and students, conversely, acknowledge that the Portuguese language is important for the process of teaching and learning. The Portuguese language can increase intellectual ability and improve quality education in East Timor. Furthermore, the Portuguese language also has an important role in the development of the Tetum language. However, the implementation of Portuguese as the medium of instruction is regarded as ineffectual since the desired outcomes have created more issues in teaching and learning that lead to other educational and social issues.This qualitative research depicts personal and professional experiences of teachers and students at Colegio de Santo Inacio de Loiola (CSIL) in Kasait, East Timor, on the advantages and disadvantages, challenges, and obstacles in using Portuguese as the medium of instruction in the teaching and learning process. The study, moreover, explores the experiences of institutional and educational leaders who are decision-makers in policy implementation of both East Timor education and Jesuit education.Reflecting on the presence of Jesuit educational institutions in East Timor brings hope to its educational system improvement. Jesuit education has demonstrated to be effective not only in intellectual formation, but also in the formation of characters during the time of Portuguese colonization, Indonesian occupation, and independence. During the era of struggling for self-determination and building a country, Jesuit education has formed and prepared intellectually competent, committed, and conscientious leaders of the country and the Catholic church in East Timor.Jesuit educational institutions, in the period after independence, aim to serve the needs of the people of East Timor by providing a good quality education which is accessible to both privileged and unprivileged students. Furthermore, Jesuit educational institutions, in the context of East Timor education, in their contribution work toward the reconstruction of post-conflict East Timor by promoting both Portuguese and Tetum languages, national and cultural identities, and justice and inclusion. What Jesuit education has contributed and is contributing to the rebuilding of post-conflict East Timor will bring significant transformation in the lives of the people through the formation of young Timorese to answer the call to serve others.

A Reanalyses of Intercorrelational Matrices of Visual and Verbal Learners’ Abilities, Cognitive Styles, and Learning Preferences

Fox, Jeanette M ProQuest Dissertations & Theses University of San 2020 해외박사(DDOD)

In psychology and education, the visual-verbal conceptual distinction is a widely studied bipolar contrast, and this distinction has been the subject of much debate. There are two main issues: One is a construct-validity issue related to the extent that scores from a test measuring the visual- and verbal-conceptual distinction accurately reflect the construct being measured, and the second one is an issue related to the use of different data analysis methods that collect and analyze the data from the visual and verbal measurements.To help resolve these issues, this study examined 21 individual intercorrelation matrices that were illustrative of the visual and verbal contrast in the learner-preference field. In this secondary data analysis, each of these 21 matrices were reexamined within and between domains using the methodology of a factor analysis. There were two research questions. First, when using a common factor analysis procedure, do studies measuring the visual-verbal learner-preference dichotomy consistently identify the visual and verbal constructs? Second, in studies that do identify the visual-verbal dichotomy using a common factor analysis, to what extent do the two factors correlate with each other?Overall, there were 73 total factors extracted; 17 of these were visual, verbal, or visual-verbal factors: six were visual factors defined independently, one was a verbal factor defined independently, and the other 10 were visual-verbal factors defined on the same factor. There was only one matrix with measures that identified a separate visual and verbal factor in the same matrix. It was concluded that the visual-verbal learner-preference dichotomy was not consistently identified, and the extent to which the visual and a verbal factors correlate could not be addressed.These findings neither provided empirical support for the visual- and verbal-conceptual distinction nor indicated there is evidence to support the visual-verbal learning-preference constructs. Moreover, the uniform data analyses in this study suggest that these findings are not the result of variation in factoring procedures. Rather than classifying students by their learning preference and applying one instructional method tailored to that preference, it may be more beneficial to present information to students with both words and pictures.

Patient-Specific Factors Associated with Surgical Delay in a Large Academic Hospital

Meyers, Natalie ProQuest Dissertations & Theses University of San 2020 해외박사(DDOD)

The high cost of healthcare is driving the search for more efficient practice, especially in high-stakes locations like the operating room. In addition to financial losses, patients suffer physical and emotional distress, including an increased risk of morbidity or mortality when surgical cases are delayed due to inefficiency. While patient-related causes of delay have been implicated, it is unclear which specific factors are most significant. This study aimed to identify specific patient factors correlated with surgical delay and develop a predictive risk algorithm that describes the relationship between patient-specific factors and surgical delay. A retrospective review of 36,543 patients’ charts who underwent surgery at a large academic hospital over a 5-year period was conducted. Patient-specific factors, including demographics, insurance type, proximity to the hospital, anesthesia type, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification, system-specific comorbidities, and medication usage, were identified. Bivariate analysis using chi-square analysis was conducted to determine if any of these factors were significantly correlated with surgical delay. The significant patient-specific factors were entered into a logistic regression model.Black race, ASA =>3, renal failure, insulin, steroid, and several surgical specialties (colorectal, gynecologic oncology, hepatobiliary, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, and plastic surgery) were associated with an increased odds of surgical delay in this sample. Obesity, general anesthesia, and cardiovascular anesthesia were associated with a decreased odds of surgical delay. The model explains approximately 3.8-5.3% of surgical delays in this sample. The overall predictive rate of the model was 57.1%. Despite previous studies attributing a significant amount of surgical delay to patient factors, reasons other than patient factors were responsible for 94-95% of surgical delay in this sample. Further research in other populations or studies using different methods such as a prospective approach are necessary to fully understand the role of patient-specific factors in surgical delay. On the other hand, the power of this study permitted the discovery of seemingly small disparities that are nonetheless clinically significant. This study demonstrates that there are certain types of patients more at risk for surgical delay and therefore a diminished access to care.