Browsing by Author "Gingerich, Karla, committee member"

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Open Access
Conflict appraisals as a mediator of the association between marital conflict and rumination in adolescents
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Melia, Nathan Lincoln, author; Lucas-Thompson, Rachel G., advisor; Coatsworth, Doug, committee member; Gingerich, Karla, committee member
A large number of studies have demonstrated that exposure to marital conflict negatively impacts children. Rumination is a cognitive process of children to such exposure that has been found to lead to both internalizing and externalizing behaviors, and may be linked to exposure to marital conflict. In this thesis, I examined whether marital conflict is related to rumination, and whether this association is mediated by adolescent conflict appraisals of marital conflict. One hundred and fifty-three adolescents (ages 11-17) reported on conflict appraisals surrounding marital conflict and cognitive coping strategies. Marital conflict was assessed via parent-report with a partnership questionnaire measuring intensity, frequency, and hostility of parental conflict. Results indicated that marital conflict was related to greater rumination about negative events.
Open Access
Effects of universal design for learning instructor training as perceived by students and instructors
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Colgan, Wendy, author; Davies, Patricia, advisor; Schelly, Cathy, advisor; Gingerich, Karla, committee member
Objective: The number and diversity of students enrolling in higher education is increasing; however, persistence and retention rates are still an area that needs attention. Universal Design for Learning is an approach that helps provide the greatest educational access to all students. Providing education and professional development to educators in this area may prove to be beneficial to all students. Method: This quasi-experimental and mixed method design study, examined the change in the implementation of UDL teaching techniques and strategies in college classrooms after UDL instructor training, as perceived by instructors and students. In addition, student perceptions on what promotes an effective teaching and learning environment were examined. UDL questionnaires were designed, tested, redesigned and refined in the first ACCESS project. The questionnaires were used to measure change after UDL training. In the second ACCESS project, ACCESS II staff worked closely with instructors and students of Psychology 100 courses at Colorado State University. Six instructors teaching nine sections of Psychology 100 agreed to participate in the UDL training. At the beginning and end of the semester a total of 1,164 students enrolled in those nine sections and the instructors were administered the UDL questionnaire. Quantitative as well as qualitative data were collected and analyzed using data analysis software including SPSS 18.0 and Atlas ti 6.0. Results: The results of the t-test demonstrated that students as well as instructors reported a significant increase in the use of UDL strategies and techniques after the UDL training. Students reported a significant increase in their instructors’ use of UDL strategies and techniques after the UDL training on 6 of the 28 questions pertaining to UDL principles. All six of these questions had effect sizes representing small to medium change. Instructors also reported a significant increase in their self-perceptions regarding their use of UDL techniques and strategies after the UDL training on 2 of the 27 questions pertaining to UDL principles. Although they did not reach statistical significance, 13 of 27 questions on the instructors’ questionnaire had effect sizes that represent small to larger than typical change from pre to post UDL training. In addition, valuable insight regarding student perceptions on what promotes an effective teaching and learning environment, such as what engages them, and what helps and hinders their learning were obtained. Conclusion: The results of this research are promising and indicate that even just as few as five one-hour sessions of instructor training in the area of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) may increase the amount of UDL techniques and strategies used in the classroom and enhance the learning experiences of all students. The large effect sizes are promising and indicate meaningful change. In addition, techniques and strategies reported by students, in regards to what promotes an effective teaching and learning environment, align with the three principles of UDL: Multiple means of representation, expression and engagement. The increasingly diverse postsecondary population only increases the urgency to leave traditional teaching strategies behind and take on a new pedagogical approach that embraces diversity.
Open Access
First year graduate teaching assistants: fostering successful teaching
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Hernandez, Gabriela Maria, author; Pilgrim, Mary, advisor; Ellis, Jessica, committee member; Doe, Sue, committee member; Gingerich, Karla, committee member
The importance of effective graduate teaching assistant (GTA) training is often greatly under appreciated. However, it is imperative that GTAs receive optimal professional development because they are often responsible for teaching undergraduate courses. Furthermore, as many GTAs move on to be faculty, inadequate GTA professional development will lead to an inadequate generation of faculty. With incentive to optimize the professional development of the next generation of faculty, as well as to help retention rates of undergraduate students, the quality of GTA training should be a top priority for many universities. This study was conducted for the purpose of making recommendations for the GTA training program in the mathematics department at a research university.
Open Access
Meeting students at their points of departure: prior knowledge, transfer, and first-year composition
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2021) Hegyi, Kevin, author; Doe, Sue R., advisor; Palmquist, Mike, committee member; Gingerich, Karla, committee member
First-Year Composition students bring with them a vast supply of prior knowledge that influences their expectations for the outcomes of a First-Year Composition course. Composition faculty also bring with them an even greater wealth of prior knowledge that informs their expectations for the outcomes of First-Year Composition. This study sought to explore the intersection between First-Year Composition students and faculty in terms of their beliefs about writing and their expectations for the outcomes of the First-Year Composition course at the beginning of the semester. The goal of studying this inflection point involves consideration of how faculty engage and develop the prior knowledge of students through a rhetorical approach to writing in order to aid in transfer of learning from the course into students' academic, personal, public, and professional lives. Beliefs and attitudes of faculty and students were explored through a three-phase qualitative study involving surveys and interviews in order to gain clarity regarding the complex interaction of these two subject groups. Results indicate that faculty and students have different expectations for the First-Year Composition course, and these expectations are influenced by the different contexts each group is situated in. Composition faculty and WPAs should consider the First-Year Composition classroom as a complex "Teaching and Learning Situation" in order to meaningfully engage and develop the prior knowledge students bring with them to the course and to ensure the transfer of learning to future contexts.
Restricted
Michael: life in the progressive tense
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Hulings, Kathryn U., author; Calderazzo, John, advisor; Coke, Pamela, committee member; Gingerich, Karla, committee member
This creative nonfiction book chronicles a family's adventures in raising an adopted child who has Down syndrome. Thematically, it focuses on how this child positively changes and influences his family's and friends' emotional lives and the role he plays in helping his mother overcome and face a life-threatening illness. Furthermore, this book provides some educational elements regarding disability, including its role in society, scientific explanations, and alternative ways of viewing some preconceived, perhaps stereotypical notions about the lives of those who are differently-abled.
Open Access
Predicting college adjustment and retention: the role of protective factors
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2020) Olivas, Nicole, author; Borrayo, Evelinn, advisor; Gingerich, Karla, committee member; Richards, Tracy, committee member; Zimmerman, Toni, committee member
The goal of the present study was to investigate which protective factors contribute to college success, as defined by social, emotional, and academic adjustment. Further, the study aimed to assess whether college adjustment in the first semester predicts academic success, retention, and college satisfaction after two years. In particular, the study assessed how males and females compare regarding the association of protective factors and college adjustment outcomes. One-hundred-sixteen participants completed the study, which included completing a set of surveys at three time points. This study found that individual, familial, and community protective factors predicted successful college adjustment at the beginning and end of the first semester of the first year in college. These findings suggest that qualities within the individual, family, and community support initial college adjustment and adjustment over time. The study found that adjustment at the end of first semester did not predict retention, GPA, or satisfaction with the college experience at the end of second year. It is possible that adjustment during the first semester has less of an impact on long-term success than originally thought. Finally, males and females appeared to have similar adjustment outcomes during the first two years of college. Although males reported greater personal talent, self-esteem, and coping self-efficacy than females, there were no gender differences in adjustment outcomes, which supports the gender similarities hypothesis. Future research should assess whether differences in college adjustment outcomes exist between first-generation and non-first-generation students.
Open Access
Relationship between early executive function, comorbidities, and motor skills in infants with Down syndrome
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2021) Jessen, Breanne, author; Daunhauer, Lisa, advisor; Fidler, Deborah, committee member; Gingerich, Karla, committee member
Over the last decade, there has been increased research on executive function including working memory, inhibition, shifting, and planning in Down syndrome, yet there are still unanswered questions. The extant research demonstrates that Down syndrome is associated with deficits in executive function, motor skills, and a higher probability of exhibiting comorbid diagnoses. Shifting in infancy is associated with infant motor skills and later school outcomes such as memory in typical development. Questions remain regarding how these factors interact in infants with Down syndrome. The current study examined the associations between shifting performance, co-occurring conditions (congenital heart defects [CHD] and prematurity), and motor skills in infants with Down syndrome. Participants were 51 infants with Down syndrome, mean infant chronological age (CA)=15.9 months; SD=3.95; mean infant developmental age=10.73, SD=0.36, Overall, 41.2% of the infant participants were born prematurely (n=21), and 45.1% had CHD (n=23). The results indicate no statistically significant association between co-occurring conditions (CHD and prematurity) and shifting abilities. Additionally, associations between motor skills and shifting performance were not statistically significant. Future research should include a larger sample size and a longitudinal design to better understand the nature of these relationships.
Open Access
Restoring employer image after a crisis
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Steiner, Zachary J., author; Byrne, Zinta S., advisor; Gibbons, Alyssa, committee member; Gingerich, Karla, committee member; Plaisance, Patrick, committee member
Organizational image is a key predictor of employee recruitment variables, such as attraction to a company, intentions to pursue employment, and pursuit behavior. A company's image can suffer when faced with negative events or crisis. I applied image restoration theory from the crisis communication literature to explore the process by which a company's image can be restored post-crisis for job seekers. I also applied insights from research on the psychology of apologies to understand the mechanism by which a company's image changes in the context of image restoration. I employed a repeated measures 2 x 3 factorial experimental design. Time 1 information was either negative or neutral about a company. Time 2 information was one of two forms of image restoration (reduce offensiveness and corrective action) or neutral information about the same company. The study also examined a chain of recruitment outcomes from image to attraction, to intentions to pursue a job opportunity. As predicted, results suggest that participants who initially viewed negative information had lower image ratings than those who viewed neutral information at time 1. Those who initially viewed negative information at time 1 showed improvements in image perceptions at time 2 in response to new information, as hypothesized. However, at time 2 there were no differences in participants who were exposed to the image restoration as compared to the neutral information, contrary to predictions. Attraction fully mediated the relationship between image and intentions to purse a job opportunity, as hypothesized. This study provided an initial test of image restoration theory in a recruitment context. Though there were no observed differences between the two types of image restoration and neutral information conditions, all three conditions showed improvements in image perceptions at time 2. Results of the study suggest that the mere absence of negative information may serve as an image recovery mechanism for job seekers; hence, actual efforts to construct the message to include image restoration content that will restore image after a crisis event may not be necessary.
Open Access
Training at Colorado community corrections centers: understanding and evaluating varied training approaches in the corrections environment
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Dunlap, Makayla, author; Jacobi, Tobi, advisor; Doe, Sue, advisor; Gingerich, Karla, committee member
Most depictions of the justice system suggest an environment that is strictly punitive. However, Community Corrections, as the last step before individuals reenter their community, is uniquely situated to be responsible for building agency in and actively communicating with those who have been incarcerated. This approach requires staff to be trained differently than others in the Corrections ecosystem so that they might interact with clients in a different, more humanitarian way. The current research aims to examine existing training for Community Corrections employees using the lens of Activity Theory (Engestrom, Vygotsky) and Design Justice (Costanza-Chock, Design Justice Network). To conduct this analysis, in an IRB-approved study, 24 participants, all of whom are practitioners of training or maintain some official role in the training ecosystem, were recruited from nine Community Corrections facilities across the state of Colorado and asked about their experiences with Community Corrections training. After the interviews were conducted, a critical content analysis of the qualitative data from the interviews was done, examining how the current training aligns with the six components of Activity Theory and the ten principles of Design Justice. In doing so, Activity Theory illuminates the complex and rapidly changing Community Corrections environment that staff are being trained in, while alignment with Design Justice principles helps measure the relative success of training. This project found that Community Corrections practitioners are aware of and, to some degree, are effective in applying Design Justice principles to their work even as structural challenges impede full effectiveness. However, current Design Justice principles did not fully capture the complexity of the institution. Activity Theory additionally revealed the complexity of Community Corrections organizationally and further amplified the need for structural changes that might influence overall effectiveness. This study shows that, moving forward, both Community Corrections itself and Design Justice principles can grow and improve.