Browsing by Author "Zimmerman, Toni, committee member"
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Item Open Access A narrative study of ethnically diverse American public school female superintendents(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Isaacs, Nelda L., author; Anderson, Sharon K., advisor; Banning, James, committee member; Kuk, Linda, committee member; Zimmerman, Toni, committee memberHistorically, women, especially minority women, have been underrepresented in the American public school superintendence. Using a narrative inquiry approach, five ethnically diverse American public school female superintendents were interviewed to determine what life experiences led them to the public school superintendence, how they described their day-to-day experiences at this position, and what can be inferred from their narratives about how they would encourage, inform, and support other women seeking this position. The data garnered through the narratives identify family, personal expectations, professional experience, concepts of power and influence, and advocacy for students as contributing factors that led each woman to the public school superintendence. While each of the women could only present her unique story, there were similarities and differences among the women's lived experiences, and with the research literature, that included their career paths, career patterns, barriers, leadership style, and reasons for exiting the superintendence. The women’s day-to-day experiences indicated they were change agents who actively contributed both to the schools and the communities in which they served. Potential support for other women seeking this position emerged, including mentorships, spirituality, family support, and superintendent and board relationships.Item Open Access American Indian adolescent methamphetamine use: an examination of region/identity variations and the impact of protective factors(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Fredrickson, Gereon J., author; Prince, Mark, advisor; Emery, Noah, committee member; Swaim, Randall, committee member; Zimmerman, Toni, committee memberObjective: Studies suggest that American Indians (AI) have high rates of methamphetamine use and indicate that AI youth have a significantly higher prevalence of past year methamphetamine use relative to non-Hispanic Whites. Methamphetamine use has been associated with an increased risk of morbidity and many adverse long-term effects. Minimal research explores region and identity differences with methamphetamine use and primarily focuses on risk-factors that lead to higher levels of use. The proposed study sought to identify protective factors that increase abstinence and reduce patterns of use among adolescent AIs by exploring the impact of parental monitoring, positive social/peer support, positive self-esteem, ethnic pride, and ethnic experience on age of initiation and past-year methamphetamine use. Method: This study is a secondary data analysis of survey data collected form an epidemiological research study with AI youth. The current study uses data collected from the Fall of 2015 through the Fall of 2019. Participants included 14,769 adolescents, grades 7-12th, from 103 different schools, across seven distinct regions of the contiguous United States. Analysis Plan: Since lifetime methamphetamine use was reported in only 3.7% of the data, past-year use was dichotomized to account for varying modeling effects and model convergence. Means, frequencies, and standard deviations were calculated for all variables as well as bivariate correlations. To model the protective factors, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used which included testing for model fit and psychometrics of the protective factor scales. An Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were completed to determine fit of the items for each protective factor, with invariance testing at the configural, metric, and scalar levels. Firth's Penalized Likelihood logistic regression and censored regressions were used to examine direct effects between the five protective factors (parental monitoring, positive peer/social influence, self-esteem, ethnic pride, and ethnic experience) and two methamphetamine use outcome variables (i.e., age of initiation and past-year use). Results: Key findings in this study were that males in middle school that identified as AI-multi-ethnic living in the Northeast region and males in high school that identified as AI-multi-ethnic living in the Southern Great Plains region endorsed significantly more methamphetamine use in the past year with an earlier age of initiation. Additionally, parental knowledge, positive peer/social influence, and internal self-esteem increased the likelihood for AI adolescents to have not initiated methamphetamine use. Lastly, parental knowledge, positive peer/social influence, internal and external self-esteem, and ethnic experience factors were significant in increasing the likelihood that AI adolescents did not engage in methamphetamine use in the past year. Conclusions: This study provides powerful recommendations for programs that target AI adolescent methamphetamine use to further prevent initiation and build resilience. It demonstrates the need to foster parental knowledge, positive peer/social influence, self-esteem, and ethnic experience as protective factors. Understanding these factors within the AI community that contribute to positive outcomes for adolescents can help further programs, schools, and communities as prevention strategies implore techniques to maximize effectiveness in reducing overall AI adolescent substance use. Further, these results have implications for future research on prevention of AI adolescent methamphetamine use.Item Open Access Feasibility of a mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention on health care safety(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Valley, Morgan Anne, author; Stallones, Lorann, advisor; Graham, Daniel, committee member; Fisher, Gwenith, committee member; Zimmerman, Toni, committee memberOccupational injuries represent a significant and costly social and public health problem, especially among health care workers, whose well-being impacts patient safety and quality of care. Mindfulness training, which teaches individuals to bring awareness and acceptance to the present moment, could decrease occupational injury rates while improving worker well-being. Mindfulness training has been proven effective in improving the health and well-being of clinical and healthy populations, but it has not yet been tested as an intervention to improve worker safety. Using a randomized waitlist controlled trial design with a mixed methods approach, the current study sought to: 1) conceptualize hospital health care workers’ experiences in adopting mindfulness practices within the context of an established health behavior theory; and 2) assess the impact of mindfulness training on safety outcomes among hospital health care workers. Hospital health care workers involved in direct patient care at two hospitals in Colorado were recruited to participate in the study. Participants were randomly assigned to a group that participated in an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course first or to a waitlist control group, which completed the MBSR training after the first group completed the course. The MBSR intervention included eight 2.5-hour group sessions of meditation, yoga, and group discussion and one 7-hour silent session to train participants to incorporate the skills in their daily lives. All participants completed questionnaires measuring covariates and safety outcomes at baseline, post-intervention, and six months after they completed the training. Participants also answered open-ended questions about their experiences when adopting mindfulness practices taught in the course. In the qualitative portion of the study, a theory-driven thematic analysis approach was used to analyze the qualitative data with the key constructs of the Health Belief Model acting as the framework for the analysis. In the quantitative portion of the study, mean scores were calculated for each participant on the study variables at each time point. Univariate repeated measures analyses of variance (RM ANOVA) time X group interaction effects with alpha level .05 were used to compare the baseline and post-intervention scores on the outcome variables between groups. Paired-samples t-tests were used to examine the stability of the intervention effects from both groups’ post-intervention time point to the 6-month follow-up data collection on the significant outcomes for all participants. Hospital health care workers from a university hospital system in Colorado volunteered to participate and were randomized to the immediate MBSR intervention (n=11) or waitlist control group (n=12). The majority of participants were female and nurses. Qualitative results highlighted the benefits of mindfulness practice among health care workers, which included enhanced awareness and improvements in social relationships and interactions with patients and colleagues. Participants described the lack of healthcare-specific recommendations for incorporating mindfulness practices at work and minimal discussion of evidence supporting mindfulness training as barriers to adopting and adhering to mindfulness practices. Viewed within the context of the Health Belief Model, these qualitative findings may help practitioners design and tailor workplace mindfulness programs to fit the needs of health care workers. Quantitative results of the study indicated that mindfulness training can decrease workplace cognitive failures and increase safety compliance behaviors among hospital health care workers. The qualitative and quantitative results contribute to the novel understanding of the role mindfulness practice plays in health care worker occupational safety and health and can support future larger-scale studies testing the longer-term impacts of mindfulness on health care safety.Item Open Access Investigating links between family factors and adolescent authenticity(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) Siler, Katherine Lovisa, author; Lucas-Thompson, Rachel, advisor; Zimmerman, Toni, committee member; Kees, Nathalie, committee memberThis study used Kernis and Goldman's (2006) conceptualization of authenticity to examine family level factors associated with adolescent authenticity. Previous research has indicated that adolescence is an important developmental period to examine authenticity. Studies have suggested that family level, and marital factors may predict adolescent authenticity. It was hypothesized that adolescent authenticity would be associated with parent authenticity, parent-adolescent relationship quality, and marital equality. It was anticipated that adolescent authenticity would be predicted by interactions between relationship quality and parent authenticity, as well as interactions between gender ideology and marital equality. Adolescents (n = 153) completed questionnaires about authenticity and relationship quality; mothers (n = 98) and fathers (n = 98) completed questionnaires about authenticity, gender ideology and perception of marital inequality. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to examine hypotheses. Adolescent authenticity was significantly associated with father's authenticity and parent-adolescent relationship quality. However, the multivariate analysis indicated that mother-adolescent relationship quality was the only significant predictor of adolescent authenticity. Future research should use a longitudinal study design with a larger sample size. Studies should examine child's perceptions of parent authenticity, parent-adolescent conflict and indirect effects of parent gender ideology on adolescent authenticity.Item Open Access Mentoring first-time and low-level delinquent adolescents: the impact of an on-campus mentoring program on sense of self and rule non-compliance(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2011) Leboeuf, Jordan Lindsay, author; Haddock, Shelley, committee member; Zimmerman, Toni, committee member; Henry, Kim, committee memberResearchers have linked sense of self variables such as self-esteem and self-concept to delinquent activity among adolescents for decades, finding that delinquency is often associated with lower levels of sense of self and proposing that lower self-esteem may motivate delinquent behavior. This thesis first considers relevant research and theories, and then presents an evaluation of Campus Corps, a college-campus mentoring program for low-level or first-time offending youth. Using hierarchical regression models, it was determined that youth in Campus Corps, compared to non-participants, experienced higher levels of self-esteem, self-concept, and feelings of being important to others. Youth in higher-quality mentor relationships experienced, on average, lower rule non-compliance, higher self-esteem, higher feelings of being noticed by others, and higher feelings of being important to others. This program evaluation contributes to the small body of research on mentoring programs for delinquent and status-offending youth, adding to the definition of what makes a mentoring program effective.Item Open Access Parent-child interactive processes in early childhood: implications for vulnerable families(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Kemp, Christine, author; Lunkenheimer, Erika, advisor; MacPhee, David, committee member; Zimmerman, Toni, committee member; Orsi, Rebecca, committee memberThe current studies examined the relation between family risk and parent-child interactive processes during early childhood. Study 1 used a cumulative risk model to examine how child maltreatment (CM) risk related to mother-child rupture and repair processes at age three (N=138 dyads). Rupture and repair were assessed using dynamic systems-based modelling of second-by-second behavioral patterns during a mother-child problem-solving task. Group-based analyses indicated that high- and low-risk families did not differ in the frequency of their repairs or the average time taken to repair a dyadic rupture. In both groups children were more likely to rupture than mothers and mothers were quicker to repair than children. Survival analyses indicated that higher risk predicted less time-to-event for mother ruptures (e.g., higher risk predicted quicker mother ruptures) but was not related to time-to-event for child rupture, child repair, or mother repair. Study 2 examined effects of mother and father psychopathology on parent-child repair and flexibility during a problem-solving task at age three (N=25 families). Actor Partner Interdependence Models (APIM; Kenny et al., 2006) were used. Results indicated that father-child dyads were significantly quicker to repair their ruptures than mother-child dyads. Contrary to hypotheses, results indicated no significant actor effects for parental psychopathology on repair proportion, repair speed, or flexibility. These studies highlighted the utility of analyzing moment-to-moment interaction patterns between parents and young children as well as the importance of taking a systemic and comprehensive assessment of family risk.Item Open Access Pathways underlying differences in health between White and Black Americans: exploring the role of racial discrimination(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2019) Marin, Josephine, author; Luong, Gloria, advisor; Zimmerman, Toni, committee member; Choi, Eunhee, committee memberThis study explored the association between experiencing racial discrimination and poor health outcomes between White and Black Americans. Secondary data from wave 11 of HRS (N = 17,085) were used to test the research questions of whether the experience of racial discrimination mediates the relationship between race and poor health, and whether this association differs for Whites and Blacks. Much of the previous literature has focused on understanding how race differences in health may be explained by racial discrimination experiences, and the current study built on this work by testing the extent to which group differences in health between White and Black Americans may be explained (i.e., mediated) by different types of racial discrimination experiences: less severe everyday experiences vs. major racial discrimination. Moreover, much less is known regarding how racial discrimination experiences may be differentially linked to health outcomes for Whites compared to Blacks. To test these questions, self-reported and objective measures of health were used along with the Major Experiences of Lifetime Discrimination and Perceived Everyday Discrimination scales. Results indicated that experiences with major discrimination significantly accounted for differences in self-rated health and number of health conditions for Blacks. Further, for Blacks experiences with both types of discrimination were related to poorer health for total number of chronic health conditions and systolic and diastolic blood pressure, whereas for Whites experiences with either type of discrimination were associated with improvements in health in self-rated health and total number of chronic health conditions.Item Open Access Predicting adjustment to college: the role of protective factors(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Olivas, Nicole, author; Borrayo, Evelinn, advisor; Gingerich, Karla, advisor; Richards, Tracy, committee member; Zimmerman, Toni, committee memberA number of empirical studies have assessed successful college adjustment despite prior adversity, in order to understand how individuals who have experienced adversity adjust. In contrast to existent research, the present study aims to evaluate the general adjustment process during the first semester of college, while controlling for prior adversity, to determine which factors serve to enhance the likelihood of successful adjustment to the college environment. In addition, minimal research has been conducted on gender differences in protective factors. The present study aims to further understand whether a difference exists between men and women in protective factors associated with successful college adjustment. This study found that higher levels of self-esteem significantly predicted positive social adjustment to the college environment. Higher levels of self-esteem, quality education, and greater coping skills significantly predicted positive emotional adjustment. Further, greater levels of intelligence and quality education significantly predicted positive academic adjustment. Comparisons between men and women regarding different protective factors revealed that men reported a higher self-perception of personal talent than women. These findings have implications for designing effective orientation and transition programs that foster successful adjustment in first-year college students.Item 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 memberThe 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.Item Open Access The association between observed mentor-mentee relationship quality and self-reported mentee and parent-reported externalizing behavior(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2020) Holmström, Freja, author; Haddock, Shelley, advisor; Zimmerman, Toni, committee member; Henry, Kimberly, committee memberYouth mentoring programs can have a significant impact in the lives of at-risk youth. A relationship between youth and an adult can act as a powerful protective factor for youth at risk of developing externalizing behaviors (conduct problems and delinquency). Within the mentor dyad, the quality of the mentoring relationship is theorized to be the key mechanism of change, and there is empirical support that the quality of the mentoring relationship is associated with positive youth outcomes. Specifically, a high-quality mentoring relationship is related to a reduction in externalizing behaviors. Historically, almost all assessments of mentoring relationship quality are self-reports, thus to build upon the existing literature, this thesis incorporates the novel component of observed mentor-mentee relational quality in relation to externalizing behavior within the context of Campus Connections (CC), a time-limited and structured therapeutic mentoring program.Item Open Access The development of the Marital Attitudes and Expectations Scale(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Park, Stacey S., author; Rosén, Lee A., advisor; Dik, Bryan, committee member; Henry, Kimberly, committee member; Zimmerman, Toni, committee memberAttitudes towards marital relationships have been examined in three ways in the literature. Studies focus on intent to marry, global positive or negative attitudes towards marriage, and expectations for what married life will be like. There are currently no instruments capable of assessing all three of these areas. The present study outlines the development and validation of the Marital Attitudes and Expectations Scale (MAES). The MAES is an instrument designed to measure intent to marry (Intent to Marry Scale, IMS), general attitudes towards marriage (General Attitudes towards Marriage Scale, GAMS), and expectations for marital relationships (Aspects of Marriage Scale, AMS). The MAES is composed of 36-items, and is on a 7-point Likert scale. The MAES is also designed to be applicable for any individual, regardless of marital status or sexual orientation. Results demonstrated internal reliability and construct validity for the instrument.Item Open Access The experiences of women leaders advancing international peacebuilding: a cross-case study of Nobel Peace Prize laureates(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Hentschel, Margit, author; Kees, Nathalie, advisor; Jennings, Louise, committee member; Timpson, William, committee member; Zimmerman, Toni, committee memberRepresentative testimony is showcased from four living women Nobel Peace Prize laureates from a multitude of public texts, presentations, and interviews that document their voices and experiences to advance international peacebuilding. Critical feminist theory and critical literacy theory provide the theoretical framework to support my cross-case study. Mindful inquiry and appreciative inquiry are also employed as methods. Thematic findings include both an individual case study and a cross-case study presentation, which showcased two themes for each participant. The cross-case study findings reveal four predominant themes; 1) having access, power, and a platform as Nobel Peace Prize laureates, 2) social justice identity construction, 3) non-violent action, and 4) promoting a strategy of hope. The implications of my research highlight the importance of including women's voices in international peacebuilding and how their political leadership and activism promote human rights and democracy for all people. Recommendations for future research include greater gender equality in language construction and in fostering political peacebuilding leadership roles. Understanding how to replicate the exceptional qualities embodied by these four women is key in advancing future such leaders.Item Open Access The nature of the literacy coaching experience: exploring teacher-coach relationships in elementary education(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2011) Davis, Susan E., author; Timpson, William, advisor; Anderson, Sharon, committee member; Davies, Timothy Gray, committee member; Zimmerman, Toni, committee memberWhile much research indicates that instructional coaching is likely to be a critical component in the implementation of school reform efforts, little research has explored the actual coaching relationship. Using a phenomenological inquiry approach, the language of the personal perceptions of coaching relationships as revealed through in-depth interviews as well as the interactions between literacy coaches and teachers during coaching sessions were analyzed in order to better understand the nature of coaching relationships and the perceptions that coaches and teachers have concerning coaching's impact on student achievement. Phenomenological analysis using Moustakas' (1994) outline of the van Kaam method, was conducted on nine in-depth interviews with coaches and teachers, and six themes were identified and explored. Role analysis (Carspecken, 1996) using an overlay of Killion & Harrison's (2006) roles of coaches and Anderson et al.'s (2001) Revised Bloom's Taxonomy was conducted on the transcripts of six coaching sessions. The metaphors that coaches and teachers use to describe coaching and coaching relationships were also explored. A pilot study was conducted which included three in-depth interviews and video transcripts of two coaching sessions. The pilot data set was used to refine the data collection and analysis procedures that were initially outlined. The understandings gained through an exploration of the descriptions and interactions of coaches and teachers holds the potential to provide a common language to support role clarification for coaches, teachers, administrators, and other stakeholders. Educators and instructional leaders need the language that would empower them to effectively describe the coaching relationship in order to be able to articulate the rationale needed to provide coaching as a potentially powerful professional development context in the current era of accountability. Additionally, a rich description of the coaching relationship that facilitates role clarification, as well as a clearer understanding of the extent to which the work is grounded in student achievement data, serves to aid in the development of guidelines for coaching programs. Suggestions for future research are outlined based on the findings.Item Open Access Young adults' marital attitudes and intentions: the role of parental conflict, divorce and gender(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) Christensen, Elizabeth J., author; Rosén, Lee, advisor; Chavez, Ernie, committee member; Richards, Tracy, committee member; Zimmerman, Toni, committee memberPrevious research has documented the importance of measuring personal and collective attitudes toward marriage and personal intentions to marry. The results of this study add to the literature by helping to further underscore the important relationship between marital attitudes and intentions, and the early childhood experiences of young adults. These results suggest that parental conflict is a better predictor of intentions and attitudes toward marriage than either gender or parental divorce. High to moderate levels of parental conflict were more strongly associated with increased fears/doubts about marriage and lowered intent to marry and high parental conflict was more strongly linked to holding more negative attitudes toward marriage in young adults. The results further underscore the importance of considering the long-term effects that experiencing moderate to high levels of parental conflict as a child may have on shaping negative attitudes. Contrary to expectations, women did not hold more positive attitudes toward marriage in general, nor, did they endorse stronger desires to marry. Results indicated that men are more likely to hold more negative attitudes toward marriage than women. Compared with students whose parents are not divorced, adult children of divorce (ACOD) reported significantly higher levels of conflict in their homes while growing up. These results have important implications for practitioners, particularly those who specialize in premarital counseling.