Peer support has demonstrated promise in promoting inclusive practices and initiating relationships between students with and without disabilities. This support has resulted in friendships, but also academic, social, vocational, and communicative growth by students with and without disabilities. Yet, little research has focused on how to teach…

This research study aimed to understand how depictions of Black women on television influence the ways Black women at PWIs make meaning of their multiple identities and self-definitions. Black Feminist Thought was used as the epistemology to inform the research questions. The research questions that guided this study were (1) How do Black college…

This dissertation explores the theme of applying video-based instruction on employment skill acquisition among secondary students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). It consists of an introduction, three stand-alone papers, and a research statement. Chapter 1 presents the overview of the current competitive integrated…

Many teachers struggle to engage English Learner students in the classroom as they feel students may be disconnected both academically and socially. In addition, many teachers have minimal intercultural experiences and limited training that could help them connect with these students. This qualitative study seeks to explore the use of video…

Vaping is a serious concern in public health. Nurses are well-positioned to play a role in providing counseling and health promotion related to vaping if they have adequate knowledge and skills to do so. However, both a knowledge and curriculum gap have been identified in nursing education related to vaping and how to counsel patients about vaping…

Discussions about mental health's impact on student-athletes continue to increase in collegiate athletics. As leaders, college coaches play an integral part in supporting student-athletes. In this leadership role, coaches must have the proper knowledge and skills to support their student-athletes' mental wellness. The purpose of the current…

Video Modeling (VM) is a widely used intervention strategy to promote academic learning and positive social interactions in children with disabilities by watching a video clip modeled by a peer (peers) demonstrating the desired behavior. Limited research has been conducted on this topic to examine VM's effectiveness on promoting positive social…

This qualitative study aimed to examine ways young children practice social skills and use language while playing the digital game Roblox in pairs, using a single electronic device, as framed through Vygotsky's Socio-cultural theory of learning. Roblox is a sandbox-style game comprising several mini-games, such as hide-and-seek simulators and…

An experimental study was conducted to examine the effects of shared book reading and video viewing on preschoolers' vocabulary and knowledge acquisition in informational text. The study included 60 preschool children who were randomly assigned to three experimental groups --shared book reading group, video viewing group, and shared book reading…

This study aimed to investigate the effects of Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACTr) before or after behavior skills training (BST). This study included four special education teachers from a Midwestern public school. Using a withdrawal design, the study explored the effects of ACTr+BST and BST+ACTr on stress levels, psychological flexibility,…

The use of simulation has increased due to the shortage of clinical sites and nursing faculty. Patient acuity and privacy laws have contributed to the increase. Research science in simulation is established in the areas of scenario execution and with the debriefing phases. However, prebriefing is an understudied phase of the simulation.…

It is estimated that less than 20% of young people worldwide are receiving the recommended 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day (Riley, Lubans, Holmes, & Morgan, 2014). Delaware and many other states around the country use FITNESSGRAM to assess students' overall physical fitness. The FITNESSGRAM® is a physical…

Currently, COVID-19 poses a threat to the US and the rest of the world, which has created the need for many people to establish physical distance from others. This need for physical distance is perhaps most important for those most vulnerable to COVID-19, which includes the older adult population. Through this time of physical isolation, most…

There was a surge in online learning and education during the COVID-19 pandemic, which means that prior research findings need to be tested against what happened during that time frame in order to see if it still holds up. When largely using computers and online settings to communicate with one another in the teaching realm, how did this impact…

During the COVID-19 pandemic, higher education moved almost exclusively to online operations, causing an unprecedented technological shift in college operations, teaching and learning, and professional and social interactions to the digital space of modern videoconferencing. Utilizing Prensky's (2001) digital natives and digital immigrants theory,…