The effect of an applied behavior analysis based treatment on the participation of a kindergarten student with Autism Spectrum Disorder in a general education classroom

This project was developed with the intention of helping to integrate a child diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder more fully into a general education classroom. The study was a single case design experiment employing a multiple-baseline design across situations intended to increase appropriate participation and decrease inappropriate participation. The Competent Learner Model was used as a tool to develop observation skills and to identify target behaviors to change for the learner. An Applied Behavior Analysis based token-economy system served as the intervention, utilizing stickers in exchange for preferred activities. The intervention was applied at three intervals across two situations with each application related to an increase in appropriate participation and a decrease in inappropriate participation. The results supported the hypothesis that the intervention would have a positive effect on appropriate participation and a negative effect on inappropriate participation. An increase in trend and mean and a decrease in variability in targeted behaviors supported the intervention effect. This study further supports Applied Behavior Analysis as an effective tool in the classroom and as an aid to help integrate children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis into the general education classroom

Appalachian Adolescents\u27 Identity and Agency: An Ethnographic Exploration of How Local Culture and Social Class Matter in the Postsecondary Transition

This study details a one year critical, ethnographic examination of the postsecondary transitions of six West Virginia high school seniors. The work explores how social class and local culture mattered in the postsecondary transition for students from a range of social and economic backgrounds. Figured Worlds Theory (Holland, et al., 1998) was used to explore how students\u27 identities were constructed from the world around them and enacted as students agentively moved through the postsecondary transition. Attention was paid to the hollowing out of rural spaces and how this happens in West Virginia as a product of deindustrialization and educational policy and practices that are all forwarded by globalization and neoliberalism.;Two West Virginia high schools were selected to show a range of experiences: one high income, suburban school and the other a low income, rural school. Convenience sampling was used to purposefully select three seniors at each site who came from a low, middle, and high income background, respectively. Students participated for one year, during the spring of their senior year in high school through the fall of their freshman year in college. Participant observation was used as the main data gathering tool in schools and communities. Each student participated in two semi-structured interviews: the first, during their senior year and the second during the fall of their freshman year of college. The interviews explored participants\u27 identities, views on their communities, and their postsecondary plans and outcomes. Students participated in focus groups that explored Appalachian identity, culture, and dialect, as well as race. The final focus group utilized photovoice as students shared images of their communities and lives to show how they constructed their own and community identities. Semi-structured interviews were completed with parents to learn about their support and involvement in their children\u27s education. Questionnaires were completed by guidance counselors and teachers to capture their educational approaches and demographic backgrounds.;All data were compiled into a primary record that was analyzed using NVIVO qualitative software. Drawing from grounded theory, open codes were developed from the primary record and theoretical background to develop analytic themes. These themes were used to sort the primary record and all other data sources. All data were used in triangulation to explore the connections and contradictions between sources. Data analysis was approached through a critical ethnographic framework that focused on constructing and drawing meaning from participants\u27 experiences (Carspecken, 1996).;Major findings of the study revealed differences between how social class was constructed at the two sites. These differences mediated the ways that class influenced students\u27 lives and thus positioned them differently within the postsecondary transition. Values within the rural community supported a broad range of students and countered discourses of competition during the postsecondary transition. In the suburban community, discourses of competition and achievement served to other students who did not excel and did not as strongly support students in the postsecondary transition.;Students and families depended on the schools as their main source of information during the postsecondary transition and though schools provided some support, there were lacunae between what was provided and what participants needed. Further, schools\u27 support for the postsecondary transition was narrowly focused on baccalaureate choices, despite rhetoric that purported to support college and career readiness. While all participants found gaps in the postsecondary transition advising process, students from first generation backgrounds were the most disadvantaged by the lack of structural support from schools. School counselors were aware of this gap; however, because of heavy workloads and standardization and accountability pushdown, they were not positioned to broaden their reach to include more students.;Despite these barriers, students and families showed great agency through the postsecondary transition as they worked to achieve their goals. Students\u27 and parents\u27 work disrupted discourses that position first generation, low-income, and Appalachian students and families as deficient in the postsecondary transition process. Further, participants\u27 attachment to family and place disrupted the hollowing out narrative that success is found elsewhere and students who stay in rural places are settling for less than the best. However, these commitments were challenged by a lack of infrastructure that would allow young adults to remain locally.;The participants\u27 stories pushed against neoliberal narratives that hide structures within the social, economic, and educational systems that contribute to inequitable educational and life outcomes. This work contributes a critical, strengths based perspective of low income and Appalachian adolescents to the educational literature. Further, the work offers perspectives that may be helpful in constructing educational policy geared towards the postsecondary transition and guidance, as well as information that can contribute to stable and sustainable Appalachian communities

Encouraging testicular self-examination behaviors in college males: Examining the role of fear appeals in protection motivation theory

Testicular cancer is the most common cancer occurring in males between the ages of 15 & 35. Although testicular cancer holds a survival rate of 99% when detected and treated early, prior research shows most males do not perform regular testicular self-examinations. This research examined the role of fear appeals in the revised protection motivation theory (PMT) model to predict the performance of testicular self-examination behaviors in college males. An experiment was conducted among a convenience sample of 156 (N = 156) males enrolled in a state university. All males answered a set of questions measuring their threat appraisal concerning testicular cancer-perceived severity, perceived vulnerability- and intentions to perform self-examinations. Participants were then presented with either a fear appeal or informational message about performing testicular self-examinations and developing testicular cancer. The participants then answered the same set of questions in addition to fear measures. Any differences were noted. Findings, discussion, limitations, and suggestions for future research are included

Cost effective and sequential methods for teaching educational paraprofessionals to implement behavior management strategies in preschool classrooms

This study examined the efficacy of cost effective and sequential training methods for teaching educational paraprofessionals to implement behavior management strategies in preschool classrooms. Investigation of the effects of increasingly complex and time consuming methods of training on both paraprofessional and student behaviors were evaluated. Training methods employed included written take-home manuals and summary cards, modeling videotapes, and performance feedback. Training materials included three behavior management strategies (e.g., instruction-giving, praise, and time out) that have shown to have extensive support in the empirical literature (Brophy, 1981; Budd, Riner, & Brockman, 1983; Flanagan, Adams, & Forehand, 1979; O’Dell, Krug, Patterson, & Faustman, 1980; O’Leary & O’Leary, 1977; Rickert, Sottolano, Parrish, Riley, Hunt, Pelco, 1988; Wahler, 1969; Walker, 1993). The efficacy of the training methods was assessed by observations of the paraprofessional’s percentage of steps correct for each paraprofessional behavior and by the percentage of intervals for each student behavior. Participants included 4 female undergraduate students who were majoring in Communication Disorders and who were employed as paraprofessionals at a preschool facility for children with speech and language delays. Results indicated that paraprofessionals could be taught to implement behavior management techniques, but that the intensity of training efforts required varied across participants and behaviors. Overall, the paraprofessionals exhibited increases in the percentage of steps correctly implemented after the implementation of varying training conditions. Changes in students’ behaviors could not be determined due to a possible ceiling effect for desirable behaviors. The results suggest that paraprofessionals are likely heterogeneous regarding what form of training is likely to be effective both among themselves and within individuals, but across behaviors. Future directions and limitations of the study are discussed

The Diabetic Heart: Examination of the Inner Mitochondrial Membrane

Cardiovascular complications, such as diabetic cardiomyopathy, are the primary cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with diabetes mellitus. The hyperglycemic environment associated with diabetes mellitus has been shown to induce the mitochondrial dysfunction contributing to diabetic cardiomyopathy. The examination of mitochondrial function is further complicated by the existence of two spatially and functionally distinct cardiac mitochondrial subpopulations, the subsarcolemmal (SSM) interfibrillar (IFM) mitochondria. These two pools of mitochondria respond differently to pathologic stimuli, such as diabetes mellitus. Targeted by the deleterious effects of diabetes mellitus, the inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM) is composed of a specific lipid environment that houses many critical processes and machinery required for proper mitochondrial function. The impact of diabetes mellitus on the IMM, including the lipids and processes housed within, is not completely understood in type 1 diabetic setting, and has not been assessed in mitochondrial subpopulations from type 2 diabetic human heart. The goal of the studies included in this dissertation was to understand the importance of IMM preservation during diabetes mellitus and to translate rodent mitochondrial dysfunction that occurs during diabetic cardiomyopathy to the human diabetic heart. FVB mice (20-25 grams) were made type 1 diabetic through multiple low dose injections of streptozotocin (STZ) for five consecutive days. Five weeks post diabetic onset, hearts were excised and mitochondrial subpopulations were isolated. For the type 2 diabetic human population, right atrial appendages were excised during coronary artery bypass grafting or valve replacement surgery, from which mitochondrial subpopulations were isolated. Cardiolipin, an essential phospholipid contained within the IMM, was shown to be decreased during a type 1 diabetic insult; however the mechanism attributing to this decrease in unknown; therefore, the cardiolipin biosynthetic pathway was evaluated in the type 1 diabetic mouse model. Results indicated decreased cardiolipin synthase protein content and activity in the diabetic IFM. The data also revealed a decrease in two critical cardiolipin-ATP synthase associations, which could potentially contribute to the observed decreased ATP synthase activity in the diabetic IFM, all of which are located in the IMM. Within the type 1 diabetic mouse model, a key constituent involved in protein import, glucose regulated protein 75, has been reported to be decreased and when overexpressed, preliminary data depicted mitochondrial functional restoration in the diabetic IFM. Mitochondrial dysfunction, as evidenced by decreased state 3 mitochondrial respiration, as well as decreased electron transport chain complex I and complex IV activity was observed in the SSM of type 2 diabetic human heart, compared to the non-diabetic heart. These results suggest for the first time, that mitochondrial dysfunction is present in the type 2 diabetic human heart and that SSM impacted to a greater extent than IFM. Taken together, the results of these studies demonstrate the importance of preserving the IMM structure to alleviate mitochondrial dysfunction associated with the diabetic heart, as well as understanding the effect of diabetes mellitus on human cardiac mitochondrial subpopulations. Further, the preliminary results highlight therapeutic strategies involving protein import constituents on the ability to attenuate mitochondrial dysfunction that occurred during a diabetic insult

A expansão mercantil da educação superior como tema da produção do conhecimento nos periódicos no Brasil (2008-2018)

This research seeks to undertake a state of the art on the theme of private/commercial expansion of higher education in the last ten years in periodicals of national circulation. From the analysis of the findings in the development of the state of the art, it is possible to expand the bibliographic universe with a greater methodological rigor about the problematic highlighted in the present research. Thus, the findings validated by the research understand that the higher education reform movement took place in the colossal private/commercial expansion of this level of education in terms of enrollments and courses in private institutions, as well as pointing to elements that make it possible to privatize the sector higher education as an essential market niche for profit.Esta investigación busca emprender un estado del arte sobre el tema de la expansión privada/mercantil de la educación superior en los últimos diez años en periódicos de circulación nacional. A partir del análisis de los hallazgos en el desarrollo del estado del arte, es posible expandir el universo bibliográfico con un mayor rigor metodológico acerca de la problemática destacada en la presente investigación. Con ello, los hallazgos validados por la investigación comprenden que el movimiento de reforma de la educación superior transcurrió en la colosal expansión privada/mercantil de este nivel de enseñanza en lo que se refiere a las matrículas ya los cursos en instituciones privadas, además de apuntar a elementos que viabilice privatizar el sector público que comprende la educación superior como un nicho de mercado esencial para la extracción de beneficios.A referida pesquisa busca empreender um estado da arte sobre o tema da expansão privada/mercantil da educação superior nos últimos dez anos em periódicos de circulação nacional. O trato metodológico parte da análise dos achados no desenvolvimento do estado da arte; é possível expandir o universo bibliográfico com um maior rigor metodológico acerca da problemática destacada na presente pesquisa. Com isso, os achados validados pela pesquisa compreendem que o movimento de reforma da educação superior decorreu na colossal expansão privada/mercantil deste nível de ensino no que tange às matrículas e aos cursos em instituições privadas, além de apontar para elementos que viabilizem privatizar o setor público compreendendo a educação superior como nicho de mercado essencial para extração de lucros

Levels of Centralisation and Autonomy in Russia’s “Party of Power”:Cross-Regional Variations

The institutionalization and nationalisation of Russia’s party system, which is dominated by United Russia (UR), has played a major role in the building of Putin’s ‘power vertical’. Nevertheless, despite the fact that formal relations within United Russia are highly centralized, informal practices allow for far greater degrees of regional autonomy. Focusing on UR’s candidate selection for the 2011 Duma election this paper provides an examination of cross-regional variations in the relations between UR’s Party Centre and its regional branches. As electoral legislation requires the segmentation of party lists into “regional groups”, the composition of the regional lists, specifically the share of “native candidates”, is considered as an indicator of the level of autonomy of regional branches. Ordinal regression analysis confirms our main theoretical hypotheses. In the more financially autonomous regions, UR’s regional branches will have more leverage and bargaining power in their relations with the Party Centre. The second influential factor is heterogeneity: the more a region deviates, in one way or another, from the average (all-Russian) indicators, the less the region is subordinate to the Party Centre

A Grounded Theory Study of Working Adults Navigating Advanced Degrees

There is considerable body of research about adults navigating advanced degrees, but little regarding adults in graduate degree programs while in full-time educational careers. Guided by Mezirow\u27s transformative learning theory, the purpose of this study was to develop a grounded theory (GT) that reflected the lived experiences of fulltime teachers within a school district as they progressed through advanced degrees. Fourteen adult learner participants were asked to talk about their experiences as both fulltime educators and graduate students. The constant comparative analysis method was employed to analyze the data to develop a theory entitled enduring driven succeeding. The theory explained stages that the participants underwent as they pursued an advanced degree. Four stages emerged from this GT study. Each stage represented behaviors one can expect in similar contexts: (a) visioning experiences in which the learner arrives at a clear mental picture the desired outcome; (b) investing experiences which occur when a learner decides on following a course of action towards the accomplishment of a goal; (c) clicking experiences in which learners begin to understand and apply their learning in meaningful ways; and (d) reflecting experiences which occur as adult learners reflect and rethink their successes and failures in order to move forward to pursue their goals. This theory can be useful in preparing university administrators, recruiters, or trainers to understand the challenges faced by fulltime working adult students as they navigate advanced degree programs. Extending this theory through the method of grounded action (GA) may also assist in providing good action plans for resolving the issues faced by adult learners as they pursue advanced degree programs

LABOR ACADÊMICO, UNIVERSIDADE E CONTRAOFENSIVA DO CAPITAL

O referido trabalho busca empreender uma análise acerca do labor acadêmico, bem como das condicionalidades empreendidas pelo sistema metabólico do capital em tempos de ofensiva neoliberal para a universidade e consequentemente para a categoria de trabalhadores em tela. Optamos pelo método de análise dialético, logo se trata de um método que busca apreender o objeto a partir das suas múltiplas determinações que o constituem, ou seja, busca apreender o objeto em sua totalidade. Assim, constatamos que o labor acadêmico sob o jugo do capital é realizado de forma pragmática e fragmentado, o que engendra um processo de estranhamento