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Browsing by Author "Kuk, Linda, 1950-, advisor"

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    Distance caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia: a phenomenologial study
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Edwards, Megan, author; Kuk, Linda, 1950-, advisor; Sample, Pat L., advisor; Littrell, John M., 1944-, committee member; Greene, David Paul, committee member
    The population of distance caregivers of people with dementia/Alzheimer's disease has not been extensively researched. This research study focused on exploring the lived experience of people caring for someone with dementia/Alzheimer's disease from a distance (defined as 2 or more hours away) to help shed light on this caregiving population. Ten participants (all adult children caring for a parent with dementia/Alzheimer's disease) were involved in this qualitative, phenomenological study. Each participant took part in two individual interviews, the first interview being conducted in person (in most cases) and the follow-up interview being conducted over the phone. After the interviews were transcribed, I analyzed the data using Moustakas's (1994) modified Van Kaam Method. Each interview (initial and follow-up) was analyzed separately. The findings from each participant's two interviews were combined, and then data from all 10 participants were pooled together. Results have been written in story form, and may help readers understand the overall experience of being a distance caregiver for someone with dementia/Alzheimer's disease (including the struggles these caregivers might encounter and the resources they have found). The results of my study, recommendations for future research, and implications for health care professionals are discussed.
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    State funding and enrollment analysis of the Colorado Community College System: prior to and after the implementation of the Colorado College Opportunity Fund (COF)
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2011) Ash, Kyoung (Kay) Heui, author; Kuk, Linda, 1950-, advisor; Gloeckner, Gene W., committee member; McCambridge, James A., committee member; Quick, Donald G., committee member
    In fiscal year 2005-2006, the state of Colorado implemented the Colorado College Opportunity Fund (COF) that was initiated in Senate Bill 04 -189. The COF is a unique post-secondary education state funding mechanism that provides direct funding-to-students (stipends). This new funding approach was implemented to give community colleges more flexibility with state funding under TABOR (1992), to enhance more educational opportunities for low-income and other under-represented students, and to increase the operational efficiency in postsecondary education. The purpose of this study was to explore the question: "Did the Colorado Opportunity Fund (COF) achieve the desired outcomes of policy makers for community colleges in the state of Colorado?" The study analyzed the Colorado Community College System's enrollment data and compared enrollment trends before and after the COF was implemented to determine if there were any significant changes in enrollment trends and to evaluate the efficacy of the COF's underlying policy, accessibility with affordability. The study used Cross-Tabulation (crosstabs) and Chi-Square analyses to determine whether or not the COF had a significant impact on enrollment trends at community colleges. The enrollment data from fiscal years 1998 to 2010 was randomly selected from 13 community colleges. The changes in community college enrollment trends since the inception of the COF were: (a) no change in overall male and female trends); (b) increased enrollment of traditional age students, especially within the age group 19-24; (c) increased enrollment of underrepresented student groups, specifically Black and Hispanic males; (d) increased male enrollment representing an underrepresented student group within community colleges; and (e) increased enrollment trends of new and first time students.