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Pages
- Title
- RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ADOLESCENT BEHAVIOR AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT.
- Creator
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Ernst, Michael, Murray, Barbara, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Citizenship – commitment to and participation in a political community - is the heart of constitutional democracy and a free society. Knowledge of the rights, responsibilities, and privileges are the electrical impulses that keep a steady beat. Without the participation of educated citizens, a democratic republic can not and does not function. This study analyzed the relationship between adolescent behavior and civic engagement. This task was accomplished by examining the amount of civic...
Show moreCitizenship – commitment to and participation in a political community - is the heart of constitutional democracy and a free society. Knowledge of the rights, responsibilities, and privileges are the electrical impulses that keep a steady beat. Without the participation of educated citizens, a democratic republic can not and does not function. This study analyzed the relationship between adolescent behavior and civic engagement. This task was accomplished by examining the amount of civic knowledge possessed by two groups within a population. The population examined, a high school in Flagler County, was composed of "at risk" students (those who had an Individualized Education Plan) and "regular" students (those that did not). The study uncovered the message that the amount of civic knowledge possessed by American youth was not as important as it was for them to be engaged in extracurricular activities. During the course of time, educators appear to have restricted their own ability to plan for and provide learning experiences that take in to consideration the physical characteristics; physical needs; patterns of growth and maturation; physiological changes; intellectual development; intellectual characteristics; learning preferences and styles; emotional development; personality development; and social development of each and every young adolescent attending school. When interesting, affordable activities are not made available, students become bored and get in to trouble during after school hours. Adolescent behaviors such as moral judgment and risk taking (or lack thereof) affect their decision to become civically involved.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2005
- Identifier
- CFE0000764, ucf:46585
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000764
- Title
- School Has a Bad Storyline: Gamification in Educational Environments.
- Creator
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Pynn, Irene, Brenckle, Martha, Janz, Bruce, Underberg-Goode, Natalie, Hopp, Carolyn, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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School often has low engagement and frustrating or absent options for the kind of agency the Federal Government's 2016 National Education Technology Plan now recommends educators include in their curriculum. Video games offer opportunities for people to participate in critical problem solving through creative projects. From balancing character statistics, to collaborating with other players, to making ethical and tactical decisions that can change the outcome of the story, successful games...
Show moreSchool often has low engagement and frustrating or absent options for the kind of agency the Federal Government's 2016 National Education Technology Plan now recommends educators include in their curriculum. Video games offer opportunities for people to participate in critical problem solving through creative projects. From balancing character statistics, to collaborating with other players, to making ethical and tactical decisions that can change the outcome of the story, successful games draw on the player's interest in learning and analyzing numbers, locations, visual clues, narrative elements, people, and more. One useful example may be found in visual novels (VNs), a medium that pulls from narrative structures found in Choose Your Own Adventure Novels. These interactive narratives are a largely untapped resource (for educational uses) of guided critical thinking. My ongoing research explores the efficacy of implementing VNs into digital pedagogies to encourage the development of (")creatigational skills.(") This term is a response to the problematic wording already in use for skills such as creative thinking and collaborative abilities, skills encouraged by and developed through interactive activities, such as gaming and many of the arts. Current terminology labels them (")soft(") or (")non-cognitive(") skills, which are clear misnomers that passively diminish the importance of creative thought. This research explores how gaming, specifically so-called (")narrative(") gaming, of which VNs are one example, might contribute to the development of creatigational skills in students. Through the creation of VNs for this study, I examine both the ability of this genre to engage and encourage imaginative thought, as well as the practicality of designing and developing VNs for classroom use.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- Identifier
- CFE0006906, ucf:51728
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006906
- Title
- Treatment Matching in PTSD: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis Based On Therapeutic Mechanisms of Action.
- Creator
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Trachik, Benjamin, Bowers, Clint, Beidel, Deborah, Jentsch, Florian, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The current study takes an initial step toward deriving a method for empirically based, theory-driven treatment matching in a military population suffering from PTSD. Along with the more overt symptoms of PTSD (e.g., persistent hyperarousal), secondary cognitive symptoms have also been shown to be significantly associated with avoidance and intrusive symptoms, as well as contribute to functional impairment. Based on the factor analytic and treatment literature for PTSD, it appears that there...
Show moreThe current study takes an initial step toward deriving a method for empirically based, theory-driven treatment matching in a military population suffering from PTSD. Along with the more overt symptoms of PTSD (e.g., persistent hyperarousal), secondary cognitive symptoms have also been shown to be significantly associated with avoidance and intrusive symptoms, as well as contribute to functional impairment. Based on the factor analytic and treatment literature for PTSD, it appears that there are two central mechanisms associated with beneficial therapeutic change that underlies both CPT and PE treatments (i.e., habituation, changes in cognitions). Additionally, different traumatic events and peritraumatic responses may be associated with unique symptom profiles and may necessitate targeted treatment. The present study proposes a novel approach to treatment matching based on the factor structure of PTSD and underlying mechanisms of treatment response. More broadly, this paper provides evidence for a broader understanding of peritraumatic responses and the potential implications of these responses for symptom profiles and illness trajectories.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- Identifier
- CFE0005727, ucf:50126
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005727
- Title
- THE IMPACT OF MEDITATION AND MINDFULNESS IN THE ELEMENTARY CLASSROOM: A REVIEW OF RESEARCH LITERATURE ACROSS FIVE DISCIPLINES.
- Creator
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Routhier-Martin, Kayli, Killingsworth Roberts, Sherron, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Mindfulness meditation programs, benefits, and outcomes were examined through research previously conducted and published by professionals within five differing disciplines: health and wellness, psychology, elementary education, exceptional education, and medicine. The goal was to find common themes within the differing disciplines in order to gather information about the effectiveness of a mindfulness meditation program to be used in an elementary classroom. In this thesis, the chapter of...
Show moreMindfulness meditation programs, benefits, and outcomes were examined through research previously conducted and published by professionals within five differing disciplines: health and wellness, psychology, elementary education, exceptional education, and medicine. The goal was to find common themes within the differing disciplines in order to gather information about the effectiveness of a mindfulness meditation program to be used in an elementary classroom. In this thesis, the chapter of Health and Wellness is a review of literature that tells the benefits found within meditators, which are not found within non-meditators. The chapter of Psychology explains the social-emotional needs of students, the causes of stress and anxieties amongst students, and the benefits that meditation provides in order to counter the negative effects of stress, anxiety, poverty, etc. The chapter of Elementary Education reviews research literature on the existing mindfulness meditation programs within the United States. This chapter also describes the implementation of such a program in an elementary school, as well as the documented data of the outcomes of the programs. The chapter of Exceptional Education is a review of the research literature on the benefits mindfulness meditation has on students with exceptionalities, such as specific learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism spectrum disorder. The chapter of Medicine is a retelling of previously published scholarly articles that list the neurological benefits of meditation, and also references the negative side effects to the currently prescribed medications that are being used in the treatment of ADHD.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- Identifier
- CFH0004877, ucf:45424
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004877
- Title
- When Coquis Sing: Introducing Young Audiences to Death and Bereavement Through An Original Play.
- Creator
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LoRicco, Michelle, Thomas, Aaron, Boyd, Belinda, Freeman, Emily, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This thesis documents the play development process of When Coquis Sing, an original play for young people that introduces the death of a parent on stage. Through the analysis of research from leading child psychologists and practical instruction from the Dougy Center, the National Center for grieving children and their families, this research defines important terms and demystifies language surrounding death to aid caregivers in having clear and concise conversations with children about death...
Show moreThis thesis documents the play development process of When Coquis Sing, an original play for young people that introduces the death of a parent on stage. Through the analysis of research from leading child psychologists and practical instruction from the Dougy Center, the National Center for grieving children and their families, this research defines important terms and demystifies language surrounding death to aid caregivers in having clear and concise conversations with children about death.The purpose of this document is to counter the American cultural perception of death as a taboo topic for children. Hosting open conversations about death leads to healthier child development, which can help children cope with the loss that everyone will inevitably face in life. Theatre has been proven to work as a catalyst for conversations and create empathy for young audiences. Themes of death can be seen in all forms of storytelling for children , but this study implores the use of theatre to not only reflect experiences of grieving children on stage, but also create preemptive dialogue on the topic, so when tragedy strikes, children can have a tangible example to point back to.The arguments in this document thwart misconceptions of using Piaget's stages of cognitive development and K(&)#252;bler-Ross's five stages of grief as measurements of how all human beings should grieve. Instead of placing grieving children in stages and age groups that exclude important variables, this study focuses on the individual stories that are shared through reflective journals on the investigator's experiences and conversations as a grief facilitator, tutor, and artist in the field of Theatre for Young Audiences. The original play, When Coquis Sing, has been designed to induce conversations on death through the telling of a young protagonist's story of loss, grief, and victory.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFE0007041, ucf:52008
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007041
- Title
- Physical-Virtual Patient Simulators: Bringing Tangible Humanity to Simulated Patients.
- Creator
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Daher, Salam, Welch, Gregory, Gonzalez, Laura, Cendan, Juan, Proctor, Michael, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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In lieu of real patients, healthcare educators frequently use simulated patients. Simulated patients can be realized in physical form, such as mannequins and trained human actors, or virtual form, such as via computer graphics presented on two-dimensional screens or head-mounted displays. Each of these alone has its strengths and weaknesses. I introduce a new class of physical-virtual patient (PVP) simulators that combine strengths of both forms by combining the flexibility and richness of...
Show moreIn lieu of real patients, healthcare educators frequently use simulated patients. Simulated patients can be realized in physical form, such as mannequins and trained human actors, or virtual form, such as via computer graphics presented on two-dimensional screens or head-mounted displays. Each of these alone has its strengths and weaknesses. I introduce a new class of physical-virtual patient (PVP) simulators that combine strengths of both forms by combining the flexibility and richness of virtual patients with tangible characteristics of a human-shaped physical form that can also exhibit a range of multi-sensory cues, including visual cues (e.g., capillary refill and facial expressions), auditory cues (e.g., verbal responses and heart sounds), and tactile cues (e.g., localized temperature and pulse). This novel combination of integrated capabilities can improve patient simulation outcomes. In my Ph.D. work I focus on three primary areas of related research. First, I describe the realization of the technology for PVPs and results from two user-studies to evaluate the importance of dynamic visuals and human-shaped physical form in terms of perception, behavior, cognition, emotions, and learning.Second, I present a general method to numerically evaluate the compatibility of any simulator-scenario pair in terms of importance and fidelity of cues. This method has the potential to make logistical, economic, and educational impacts on the choices of utilizing existing simulators.Finally, I describe a method for increasing human perception of simulated humans by exposing participants to the simulated human taking part in a short, engaging conversation prior to the simulation.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFE0007750, ucf:52402
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007750
- Title
- Physiological Reactions to Uncanny Stimuli: Substantiation of Self-Assessment and Individual Perception in User Enjoyment and Comfort.
- Creator
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Ballion, Tatiana, Sims, Valerie, Chin, Matthew, Jones, Donald, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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There is abundant anecdotal evidence substantiating Mori's initial observation of the "uncanny valley", a point at which human response to non-human entities drops sharply with respect to comfort (Mori, 1970), and the construct itself has a long-standing history in both Robotics and Psychology. Currently, many fields such as design, training, entertainment, and education make use of heuristic approaches to accommodate the anticipated needs of the user/consumer/audience in certain important...
Show moreThere is abundant anecdotal evidence substantiating Mori's initial observation of the "uncanny valley", a point at which human response to non-human entities drops sharply with respect to comfort (Mori, 1970), and the construct itself has a long-standing history in both Robotics and Psychology. Currently, many fields such as design, training, entertainment, and education make use of heuristic approaches to accommodate the anticipated needs of the user/consumer/audience in certain important aspects. This is due to the lack of empirical substantiation or, in some cases, the impossibility of rigorous quantification; one such area is with respect to the user's experience of uncanniness, a feeling of "eeriness" or "wrongness" when interacting with artefacts or environments. Uncanniness, however, continues to be defined and measured in a largely subjective way, and often after the fact; an experience or product's uncanny features are pointed out after the item has been markedly avoided or complained about by the general public. These studies are among the first seeking to determine a constellation of personality traits and physiological responses that incline the user to have a more frequent or profound (")uncanny" reaction when presented with stimuli meeting the criteria for a level of "eeriness". In study 1, 395 adults were asked to categorize 200 images as uncanny, neutral, pleasant, or other. In Study 2, physiological and eye-tracking data was collected from twenty two adults as they viewed uncanny, neutral and pleasant images culled from study 1. This research identifies components of the uncanny valley related to subjective assessment, personality factors (using the HEXACO and Anthropomorphic Tendencies Scale), and biophysical measures, and found that traits unique to Emotionality on the HEXACO inventory, compounded with a form of anthropomorphism demonstrates a level of relationship to the subjective experience of uncanny stimuli. There is evidence that HEXACO type and forms of anthropomorphic perception mediates the biophysical expression and the subjective perception of the stimuli. In keeping with psychological hypotheses, stimuli to which the participants had greatest response centered on death, the threat of death, or mismatched/absent facial features.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFE0004354, ucf:49454
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004354
- Title
- Metaphoric Competence as a Means to Meta-Cognitive Awareness in First-Year Composition.
- Creator
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Dadurka, David, Scott, John, Marinara, Martha, Wallace, David, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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A growing body of writing research suggests college students' and teachers' conceptualizations of writing play an important role in learning to write and making the transition from secondary to post-secondary academic composition. First-year college writers are not blank slates; rather, they bring many assumptions and beliefs about academic writing to the first-year writing classroom from exposure to a wide range of literate practices throughout their lives. Metaphor acts as a way for...
Show moreA growing body of writing research suggests college students' and teachers' conceptualizations of writing play an important role in learning to write and making the transition from secondary to post-secondary academic composition. First-year college writers are not blank slates; rather, they bring many assumptions and beliefs about academic writing to the first-year writing classroom from exposure to a wide range of literate practices throughout their lives. Metaphor acts as a way for scholars to trace students' as well as their instructors' assumptions and beliefs about writing. In this study, I contend that metaphor is a pathway to meta-cognitive awareness, mindfulness, and reflection. This multi-method descriptive study applies metaphor analysis to a corpus of more than a dozen first-year composition students' end-of-semester writing portfolios; the study also employs an auto-ethnographic approach to examining this author's texts composed as a graduate student and novice teacher. In several cases writing students in this study appeared to reconfigure their metaphors for writing and subsequently reconsider their assumptions about writing. My literature review and analysis suggests that metaphor remains an underutilized inventive and reflective strategy in composition pedagogy. Based on these results, I suggest that instructors consider how metaphoric competence might offer writers and writing instructors an alternate means for operationalizing key habits of mind such as meta-cognitive awareness, reflection, openness to learning, and creativity as recommended in the Framework for Success in Post-Secondary Writing. Ultimately, I argue that writers and teachers might benefit from adopting a more flexible attitude towards metaphor. As a rhetorical trope, metaphors are contextual and, thus, writers need to learn to mix, discard, create, and obscure metaphors as required by the situation.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFE0004303, ucf:49475
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004303
- Title
- Investigating the universality and comprehensive ability of measures to assess the state of workload.
- Creator
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Abich, Julian, Reinerman, Lauren, Lackey, Stephanie, Szalma, James, Taylor, Grant, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Measures of workload have been developed on the basis of the various definitions, some are designed to capture the multi-dimensional aspects of a unitary resource pool (Kahneman, 1973) while others are developed on the basis of multiple resource theory (Wickens, 2002). Although many theory based workload measures exist, others have often been constructed to serve the purpose of specific experimental tasks. As a result, it is likely that not every workload measure is reliable and valid for all...
Show moreMeasures of workload have been developed on the basis of the various definitions, some are designed to capture the multi-dimensional aspects of a unitary resource pool (Kahneman, 1973) while others are developed on the basis of multiple resource theory (Wickens, 2002). Although many theory based workload measures exist, others have often been constructed to serve the purpose of specific experimental tasks. As a result, it is likely that not every workload measure is reliable and valid for all tasks, much less each domain. To date, no single measure, systematically tested across experimental tasks, domains, and other measures is considered a universal measure of workload. Most researchers would argue that multiple measures from various categories should be applied to a given task to comprehensively assess workload. The goal for Study 1 to establish task load manipulations for two theoretically different tasks that induce distinct levels of workload assessed by both subjective and performance measures was successful. The results of the subjective responses support standardization and validation of the tasks and demands of that task for investigating workload. After investigating the use of subjective and objective measures of workload to identify a universal and comprehensive measure or set of measures, based on Study 2, it can only be concluded that not one or a set of measures exists. Arguably, it is not to say that one will never be conceived and developed, but at this time, one does not reside in the psychometric catalog. Instead, it appears that a more suitable approach is to customize a set of workload measures based on the task. The novel approach of assessing the sensitivity and comprehensive ability of conjointly utilizing subjective, performance, and physiological workload measures for theoretically different tasks within the same domain contributes to the theory by laying the foundation for improving methodology for researching workload. The applicable contribution of this project is a stepping-stone towards developing complex profiles of workload for use in closed-loop systems, such as human-robot team interaction. Identifying the best combination of workload measures enables human factors practitioners, trainers, and task designers to improve methodology and evaluation of system designs, training requirements, and personnel selection.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFE0005119, ucf:50675
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005119
- Title
- Evaluating Improvisation as a Technique for Training Pre-Service Teachers for Inclusive Classrooms.
- Creator
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Becker, Theresa, Hines, Rebecca, Beverly, Monifa, Hopp, Carolyn, Hamed, Kastro, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Improvisation is a construct that uses a set of minimal heuristic guidelines to create a highly flexible scaffold that fosters extemporaneous communication. Scholars from diverse domains: such as psychology, business, negotiation, and education have suggested its use as a method for preparing professionals to manage complexity and think on their feet. A review of the literature revealed that while there is substantial theoretical scholarship on using improvisation in diverse domains, little...
Show moreImprovisation is a construct that uses a set of minimal heuristic guidelines to create a highly flexible scaffold that fosters extemporaneous communication. Scholars from diverse domains: such as psychology, business, negotiation, and education have suggested its use as a method for preparing professionals to manage complexity and think on their feet. A review of the literature revealed that while there is substantial theoretical scholarship on using improvisation in diverse domains, little research has verified these assertions. This dissertation evaluated whether improvisation, a specific type of dramatic technique, was effective for training pre-service teachers in specific characteristics of teacher-child classroom interaction, communication and affective skills development. It measured the strength and direction of any potential changes such training might effect on pre-service teacher's self-efficacy for teaching and for implementing the communication skills common to improvisation and teaching while interacting with student in an inclusive classroom setting. A review of the literature on teacher self-efficacy and improvisation clarified and defined key terms, and illustrated relevant studies. This study utilized a mixed-method research design based on instructional design and development research. Matched pairs t-tests were used to analyze the self-efficacy and training skills survey data and pre-service teacher reflections and interview transcripts were used to triangulate the qualitative data. Results of the t-tests showed a significant difference in participants' self-efficacy for teaching measured before and after the improvisation training. A significant difference in means was also measured in participants' aptitude for improvisation strategies and for self-efficacy for their implementation pre-/post- training. Qualitative results from pre-service teacher class artifacts and interviews showed participants reported beneficial personal outcomes as well as confirmed using skills from the training while interacting with students. Many of the qualitative themes parallel individual question items on the teacher self-efficacy TSES scale as well as the improvisation self-efficacy scale CSAI. The self-reported changes in affective behavior such as increased self-confidence and ability to foster positive interaction with students are illustrative of changes in teacher agency. Self-reports of being able to better understand student perspectives demonstrate a change in participant ability to empathize with students. Participants who worked with both typically developing students as well as with students with disabilities reported utilizing improvisation strategies such as Yes, and..., mirroring emotions and body language, vocal prosody and establishing a narrative relationship to put the students at ease, establish a positive learning environment, encourage student contributions and foster teachable moments. The improvisation strategies showed specific benefit for participants working with nonverbal students or who had commutation difficulties, by providing the pre-service teachers with strategies for using body language, emotional mirroring, vocal prosody and acceptance to foster interaction and communication with the student.Results from this investigation appear to substantiate the benefit of using improvisation training as part of a pre-service teacher methods course for preparing teachers for inclusive elementary classrooms. Replication of the study is encouraged with teachers of differing populations to confirm and extend results.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFE0004516, ucf:49273
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004516
