Poster Session (2:10 - 3:10)

Mezzanine and Great Hall

• Improving Cybersecurity Infrastructure Through Service-Learning Pedagogy: A Practitioner Inquiry Approach
  Erik Alanson
  University of Cincinnati
  This poster presentation will examine the experiences of practitioners working together to develop a cybersecurity curriculum with State of Ohio not-for-profit organizations and small-to-mid-sized businesses. Participants include representatives from the not-for-profit community, governmental agencies, higher education institutions, and K-12 institutions. Utilizing a practitioner inquiry approach to examine this experience, the presenter will discuss the successes and challenges in improving cybersecurity infrastructure through a transdisciplinary approach to participation.
• The effect of implementing district procedures on relationships between administrators and teachers
  Amy Ghibaudy
  University of Louisville
  Intent: To explore how the implementation of the district procedures outlined in the JCPS Student Support and Behavior Intervention Handbook affects the relationship between administrators and teachers. Generative Questions: 1. Whether or not the implementation of district procedures on student conduct fosters a positive, negative, or has no effect on the relationship between administrators and teachers? 2. How adequate is the training to support the relationships between administrators and teachers when learning about the implementation of district procedures on student conduct? 3. What perceptions do teachers and administrators have on their counterpart’s role in the implementation of district procedures on student conduct
• Technology Usage in STEM Higher Education and Student Learning
  Tracy Gastineau-Stevens
  University of Kentucky
  Even before the COVID-19 pandemic caused educators to switch to online learning, many educators used technology within or for their classrooms. As the world begins to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, these research questions have re-emerged. There have been numerous studies on how technology affects student learning at the higher education level and among science-based courses. This research will use a mixed-method constructivist study on the effect of technology usage on student learning among three introductory science department classes at the University of Kentucky. The three main subjects will be chemistry, physics, and biology due to differences and similarities in how these courses are taught. All active participants within these courses will be evaluated for their perceptions of how technology affects student learning. These include professors, students, and teaching assistants. A preliminary qualitative pilot study on one large general chemistry course was conducted. After two observations and two interviews, the emerging themes showed that what is considered technology is different and the use of the technological tool is generally more important than the technology itself in how it affects student learning. More research will be done among other general chemistry courses in addition to general physics and biology courses. These other courses and active participants will help fill the gap of how technology usage among higher education science courses affects student learning.
• Compassion Fatigue and the Impact on Teacher Retention in High Poverty Schools
  Kimble Best
  University of Louisville
  Educators who work with students in high poverty schools are oftentimes exposed to higher rates of traumatized students which can lead to compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue is most well known as being experienced by first responders, nurses and social workers but is becoming more widespread in the education realm. Compassion fatigue, also referred to as burnout and secondary trauma although they are differences among the three, can greatly impact the performance and mental well being of service deliverers if not addressed properly. This research project will explore the correlation between compassion fatigue and teacher retention in high poverty schools through a mixed methods approach using data collected from the Professional Quality of Life Scale ( ProQOL), quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews. The results from this research will be used to determine if educators working in high poverty schools are receiving support in how to identify signs of compassion fatigue and to determine what professional development and training should be delivered to staff that are employed in high poverty schools in an effort to decrease staff burnout and compassion fatigue with the intent to increase staff retention rates.
• University Supervisors’ Roles, Selection, & Effectiveness
  Laura Mirochna
  University of Kentucky
  University supervisors [US] serve as the liaison between student teachers, cooperating teachers, and relevant universities’ TEP – bridging the gap between theory and practical application for novice teachers through the use of formative and summative assessments. Current classroom teachers generally rank their own field experience – which included interactions with US – as “the single most influential factor in their TEP” (Steadman & Brown, 2011, 52) and say that it “has the potential to play a major role in helping novices learn to teach” (Borko & Mayfield, 1995, 502). Many clinical coordinators hire seasoned professionals for the role of US because they know how to teach and have taught well for many years. McCormack, et al, posit that “US suffer overwhelming workloads, feel marginalized by their institutions, lack ongoing training, and are often unclear as to what their role is” (2019, 22). In addition, a preliminary look at existing role definition and selection criteria reveal widely varying practices across universities. According to McGarr & Gallchóir’s call for future research, we should “re-evaluate the university’s policy of employing a significant portion of retired teachers as field instructors, who despite their commitment and valuable experience in teaching, do not appear to be familiar with new and emerging technologies or their pedagogical affordances in the classroom” (2020, 10). Parties responsible for hiring US typically do not offer P.D. because they trust that the chosen mentor teachers will be able to evaluate novice teachers without the need for training.
• Initial Development and Analysis of the General Education Curricula and Courses Data Set (GECC)
  Walker Mask
  University of Kentucky
  The development and analysis of educational data sets is an area of educational research that should incorporate more diverse form data sets as exploration continues. The General Education Curricula and Courses (GECC) data set aims to collect and organize general education program information at 4-year institutions across the U.S. This explores what patterns exist among these requirements, what courses fulfill them, and uncovers any relationships between general education curricula, institutional attributes, and academic disciplines. Given the scale of both the number of courses offered at any institution and the total number of 4-year institutions in the U.S., the development and analysis of GECC is being performed in phases that focus on subset samples of institutions and certain academic disciplines. This work communicates the initial GECC development and analysis as a proof of concept, focusing on STEM courses that fulfill general education requirements at a stratified sample (n=180) of 4-year institutions. The highlighted trends include the relationship between the types of requirements and their frequency and the distribution of requirements among the broad STEM disciplines. The data shows a high focus on communication skills and quantitative reasoning among most sample institutions, with the least attention given to research skills as a requirement. The collected courses analysis (n=8,281) shows the most common STEM disciplines contributing to general education requirements are biology, physics, and mathematics.
• COMPARATIVE IMPACT OF PALM COOLING TEMPERATURES ON ERGOGENIC AND CARDIOVASCULAR INDICES.
  Neel Patel
  University of Louisville
  Co-Authors:

  Chris Colborn, Steve Soltysiak, Alex Shefflette, Elisabeth Dichiara, Alexandria Vanhoover, John Caruso
  BACKGROUND: Palm cooling proved beneficial to health and performance, yet an optimal temperature has not been identified. METHODS: To identify a palm cooling temperature to optimize ergogenic and cardiovascular responses, 12 women and 8 men did three multi-stage rowing ergometry workouts. In a randomized sequence, and as they wore fabricated palm cooling gloves equipped with a mesh pouch for workouts, gel packs at one of 3 average temperatures (10.6, 12.6, or 14.9o C) were inserted into the pouches. Per workout, distance rowed, heart rate (HR), systolic and diastolic blood pressures (SBP, DBP) were recorded before, during and after rowing. Distances rowed were compared with two-way (gender, condition) ANCOVAs, with repeated measures for condition. Cardiovascular variables were compared with three-way (condition, gender, time) ANCOVAs, with repeated measures for condition and time. Within-subject contrasts were our post-hoc, and  = 0.05 denoted significance. RESULTS: Distance rowed results yielded non-significant differences. DBP results had a significant time-by-gender interaction. Women had significantly higher values than men at 5- and 10-minutes post-exercise. HR results included a significant condition x time interaction, with 10.6 < 12.6 and 14.9o C after rowing stage four, as well as at 5-, 10- and 15-minutes post-exercise. SBP results included main effects for condition (10.6 < 12.6 and 14.9o C) and time. For time, post-bike and 5-minutes post-exercise values were significantly higher than all others measured. CONCLUSIONS: HR and SBP results imply 10.6o C, since it yielded lower values per variable despite a similar distance rowed as the other conditions, may be optimal since it imposed less cardiovascular demand.
• Ventilatory Efficiency in Structural Firefighters
  Emily Langford
  University of Kentucky
  Co-Authors:

  Sarah Lanham, Alyssa Eastman, Haley Bergstrom, Stuart Best, Xin Ma, M. Ryan Mason, Mark Abel
  Firefighting is limited by the air supplied within the self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). To maximize performance, firefighters (FF) must consume this air efficiently. PURPOSE: (1) To examine variability in air consumption (AC) between FF during tasks performed at a standardized pace; (2) To identify anthropometric and physiological parameters associated with AC; (3) To explore the relationship between ventilatory efficiency (VE) (i.e., total AC at a standardized work rate) and self-paced work rate. METHODS: FFs completed 2 randomized trials of an air consumption drill (ACD) at a standardized pace while breathing through an SCBA and a portable gas analyzer. The change in SCBA pressure and physiological outcomes were monitored. A subsample completed a third trial at a self-selected pace to compare VE to self-paced ACD time. Anthropometric outcomes were assessed separately. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, paired-samples t-tests, effect sizes, and correlational analyses. RESULTS: The demands of the ACD reflected moderate-to-high intensity activity. There was no difference in ACD time between conditions. The average inter-FF AC variability (±1 SD) was 13.7% of cylinder usage, extrapolating to 3.1 min per cylinder. In addition to numerous physiological outcomes, BMI, gear mass, and body fat percentage exhibited positive relationships with AC. There was no relationship between self-paced ACD time and VE. CONCLUSIONS: Findings confirm that AC is variable between FFs working at a standardized pace. FFs performing at higher internal loads demonstrated poorer VE. Improving metabolic work tolerance and reducing excessive load carriage may improve FF’s VE to extend the functional SCBA duration.
• Inclusively Teaching Undergraduate Students of Color: Examining Instructor Self-Efficacy
  Jaylene Patterson
  University of Kentucky
  Co-Authors:

  Jaeyun Han, Anastacia Cole, Ellen Usher
  When instructors provide structures that uphold and reinforce students’ cultural identities, students likely feel a greater sense of belonging (Gray et al., 2018). However, little research has addressed teachers’ beliefs about their capabilities to engage in these culturally affirming practices, particularly at the postsecondary level. Furthermore, instructors’ beliefs may not always translate into practices that are perceived by students of color as supportive, particularly among students attending predominantly White institutions (PWI; Stepp & Brown, 2021). The research questions for this study were: What is the relationship between instructor self-efficacy for meeting the needs of students of color and students’ sense of belonging? Does instructors’ self-efficacy for culturally relevant teaching practices align with students’ perception of such practices? Participants were White instructors (n = 50) and their students of color (n = 1,376) who took part in a larger investigation of undergraduate teaching and learning at a public, land grant PWI in the southeastern U.S. Instructor measures included self-efficacy for meeting the needs of students of color and self-efficacy for implementing culturally relevant teaching practices. Student measures were perceptions of instructor’s culturally relevant practices and sense of belonging. Student responses were aggregated (means) by instructor. Researchers found that instructor's’ self-efficacy for meeting the needs of diverse students was unrelated to students’ sense of belonging. On average, instructors reported high levels of self-efficacy. Instructors’ self-efficacy for culturally relevant teaching was positively related to students’ perceptions of inclusivity. This study provides support for the importance of confidence in inclusive practices for White instructors to promote positive student perceptions and academic outcomes.
• Bringing Nature Into Schools: A Meta-Analysis of Interventions
  Lexi Bird
  University of Kentucky
  Children’s lack of engagement with the natural world has stimulated research interests related to re-connecting children with nature. Nature engagement and connection provides cognitive, affective, and social benefits to children; however, educational institutions often fail to integrate nature into their practice. Existing literature supports that childhood is a critical period to develop a connection with nature. As children spend nearly one-third of their days in the school setting, educational institutions can provide optimal opportunities for children to experience and interact with nature. The purpose of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the effects of nature-related interventions in education settings on student outcomes. Relevant literature was retrieved from the following databases: ProQuest Education, PsychINFO, and Web of Science. Based on the inclusion criteria, 100 articles will be screened for their titles and abstracts. Articles meeting all inclusion criteria will be included in the meta-analysis. Identified articles will be reviewed and coded for analysis of the efficacy of these nature-related interventions on student outcomes.
• Increasing Teacher Use of Equitable Behavior-Specific Praise in an EBD Classroom through Equity-Focused Self-Monitoring & Performance Feedback
  Emma DenBleyker
  University of Cincinnati
  Disproportionate outcomes for minoritized students, particularly Black, Latinx, and Indigenous students, remains a pervasive issue in schools. Teachers with insufficient classroom management techniques may unknowingly contribute to discipline disproportionality, highlighting the importance of providing teachers with feasible classroom management strategies. Behavior specific praise (BSP) is one of the most widespread and simple evidence-based classroom management techniques, anchored in feasibility and effectiveness. However, several studies have demonstrated inequity in delivering BSP to ethnic / racial minoritized students. Self-monitoring and performance feedback have been widely used to increase teachers’ implementation fidelity of behavioral interventions, and positive effects have been demonstrated specifically for interventions focused on increasing overall rates of praise. However, the literature on BSP, self-monitoring, and performance feedback have only recently begun to turn an eye towards equitable student outcomes. Therefore, the current study seeks to expand on this emerging literature to determine the effectiveness of a two-pronged (self-monitoring and performance feedback) intervention to increase teacher use of equitable BSP.
• Practitioners, Parents, and Students: How does this Trifecta Impact Teaching and Learning in Times of Pandemic?
  Jessica Martinkosky
  University of Kentucky
  Co-Authors:

  Stuart Keogh, Stacey Love, Ian McPhail, Jane Walsh, Dan Wolford
  This poster session has its underpinnings in the challenges and subsequent adjustments to learning environments prompted by school closures in 2020 due to the pandemic. The initial stages of this study incorporated interviews with various stakeholders, highlighting such concerns as internet connectivity, the inexperience and unpreparedness of teachers for teaching remotely, and a dramatic drop in student engagement. Conversely, some positive developments emerged during this time. Schools experienced an increased sense of community through virtual meetings and expansion in parental involvement in education. At the conclusion of this research project, we met as a team with external educational leaders to gain further insights. As a result, three themes emerged. These themes surround the breadth and depth in impacting the practice of education both during times of crisis and distance learning and in framing the experiences of practitioners, parents, and students throughout the educational process: 1) People, Relationships, and Collaboration, 2) Communication, Clarity, and Coordination, and 3) Leading Organizational Change. Exploring these themes in practice, experience, and discussion with practitioners, parents, and professionals allowed for a richer and more thorough understanding of the challenges and perceptions of those involved on the “front lines” of pandemic education.
• The Pulse of the People Digital Storytelling & Photovoice
  Brandy Shumake
  University of Louisville
  Co-Authors:

  Erica Brooks, Adriana Thorton, Synthia Shelby, Brandy Shumake
  During this experience, your presenters will frame digital storytelling and photovoice through the unique lenses of pan-Africanism. Starting with the journey of the drum, we will explore African music, storytelling, community, poetry, and masking of all forms. We invite you to join this participatory action research presentation. We provide opportunities for rich discussion and reflection on this methodology. We are all the Pulse of the People.
• English Copular Be Verbs: Overpassivization and Overuse by Chinese Speakers of English
  Alexis Parker
  University of Cincinnati
  Co-Authors:

  Detong Xia, Hye Pae
  This study examined using a learner corpus of how Chinese learners of English formulated verbal phrases in expository writing. Among 1,541 extracted overpassivized cases from the corpus, the misuse of unaccusative verbs accounted for 45% (e.g., *Unfortunately, his parents were died), followed by transitive verbs (24%; *We are appreciated your passion) and copular be verbs (19%; e.g., *That’s is viewed as inappropriate), all of which were higher than that of unergative verbs (10%; *It will be rain all afternoon). Unaccusative verbs are a subgroup of intransitive verbs that semantically do not deliver the subject’s action but rather are semantically the receiver of actions that verbs express (e.g., appear, disappear, emerge). The distribution of errors in unaccusative verbs remained consistent in beginner and intermediate groups, indicating that the overpassivization tendency was persistent in the course of mastery of English. The most conspicuous error in transitive verbs was found in object relative clauses. The most common error in the copular be verb was made in object complements and in past tense. The results of this study suggest that explicit instruction focusing on verbal types used in various sentence structures is needed in ESL classrooms.
• CORNROWED LITERACY & LIVES: COGNITIVELY COACHING TEACHERS THROUGH A CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE LITERACY
  Ashley White
  Bellarmine University
  How does a teacher use a full range of literacy works, teach the mandated core curriculum and still connect to children’s lives in deep and meaningful ways? Hopefully many educators would agree that culturally responsive teaching is the solution. The term, “culturally responsive education” coined by Gloria Ladson-Billings is defined as a “theoretical model that not only addresses student achievement, but also helps students to accept and affirm their cultural identity while developing critical perspectives that challenge inequalities that schools (and other institutions) perpetuate” (1995, p. 469). This term was seen as a theory that was reframing education to structure learning to be more identity centered, but also to focus on sociopolitical learning in student achievement for all learners. Students learn best when appropriate and authentic materials relate to their culture (Ladson-Billings, 1995). Culturally diverse students are much more interested in literature that has characters who live in the same cultural experiences as they do (Goetz and Sadoski, 1995). When students can see clear and positive authentic representation of their culture throughout the curriculum it allows for a strong sense of affirmation (Au, 1997; Hefflin, 1996). The heart of this proposed topic research paper centers around cognitively coaching and supporting teachers with implementing culturally responsive literacy instruction through personalized learning. During this study, I will analyze instructional equity through culturally conscious literature.