Session C: 1:45PM – 3:15PM
Education. Session C – Poster Presentations, Ballroom, Union
SESSION C (1:45-3:15PM)
Location: Ballroom, A. Ray Olpin University Union
The Relationship between Parent and Child Behaviors during Reading Interactions
Jessica Clark, Brigham Young University
Alexis Smith, Brigham Young University
Faculty Mentor: Connie Summers, Brigham Young University
SESSION C (1:45-3:15PM)
POSTER C74
Weber State Student Leadership Social Issues Team: Why Students’ Completion Numbers for FAFSA are at All Time Low
Cayden Schroader, Weber State University
Emma Blanch, Weber State University
Kary Makela, Weber State University
Faculty Mentor: Ryan Cain and Robin Haislett, Weber State University
SESSION C (1:45-3:15PM)
POSTER C75
Weber State University found a decrease in the number of students completing the FAFSA form over the last several years. The Social Issues Team (SIT), a subgroup of the Community Engagement Team at Weber State University, took on the active gathering of information about barriers and challenges students might face in completing the FAFSA form. According to research regarding FAFSA form completion, students from varying socioeconomic, education, and racial backgrounds have greater obstacles to overcome to access needed federal aid in certain instances (McGuigan et. al., 2016). Some of the more prominent concerns included students’ awareness and knowledge of the program, the eligibility of the students applying (Long, 2022), debt aversion (Boatman et. al., 2017, Cunningham & Santiago), and parents’ cooperation in providing financial information (Thompson, 2019). The SIT developed a ~45 question survey instrument to measure frequency of barriers to completing the FAFSA form identified by the literature review. The instrument also includes open-ended items to allow participants to report unanticipated barriers to completion. The survey asks questions regarding whether or not they have completed the FAFSA application in the past, difficulties in filling out the application, how confident they felt filling out the application, and various demographic questions that may be beneficial in discerning patterns and trends in the findings. The SIT sent the draft survey to students and higher education experts on the WSU campus for evaluation to refine the instrument. Following survey refinement and IRB approval, the survey will be sent out to WSU students asking about potential barriers they may have when actively completing the FAFSA form. The SIT anticipates a total of 1,000 responses. If findings follow previous research trends, then WSU could show a link between FAFSA form completion and the areas students need greater guidance in completing. A possible corresponding effort may result in more students having access to the aid they need to better fund their education. Also, an active program (Page, et. al., 2020) to target students of a specific demographic, which may result in a higher percentage of completion of the FAFSA form, and receive subsequent funding, at WSU.
Virtual Reality in Dental Hygiene Education
Amber Hawkins, Utah Tech University
Faculty Mentor: Lisa Welch, Utah Tech University
SESSION C (1:45-3:15PM)
POSTER C77
An Investigation into the Efficacy of Dental Hygiene Skill Practice using a Virtual Reality Application Compared with Traditional Practice Methods. Purpose: A pilot study to evaluate the efficacy of skill practice in virtual reality (VR) compared with skill practice in real-life, using an application designed to simulate the fundamental dental hygiene skills of operator, patient and light positioning. Methodology: Educational intervention comparison study. Pre/post intervention competency testing performed by a blinded investigator. A convenience sample of 56 first semester dental hygiene students from two institutions in two states were invited to participate. A 66% response rate of 37 participants completed data collection. Participants were pre-tested, randomly assigned to either the test group (VR) or the control group (real life who practiced in a dental operatory using a dentiform), allocated 30 minutes of practice time, then post-tested. Participants were awarded a five-dollar incentive Amazon gift card upon completion of data collection and invited to complete a four-question post data collection survey. Data analysis was conducted using a two-tailed paired t-test with medium effect size of 0.5, alpha of 0.05 and a power of .84 for 37 participants. Survey results were reported using descriptive statistics. Results: Preliminary analysis suggests no significant difference in learning between the control and test populations. However, this may be attributed to methodology limitations; possibly, skill practice for 30 minutes was not enough time to make a distinguishable difference in participant skills. Comprehensive analysis and interpretation of the results are scheduled to be completed December 2022. Conclusion(s): Although no significant difference in learning was observed the research has the potential to lay the foundation for further studies. Currently, dental skills are developed using models in simulation laboratories, with practice on fellow students and ultimately on patients. Virtual reality applications would enable students to practice without the use of expensive dental equipment, in a safe, low stakes environment; ultimately contributing to increased experiential learning and student and patient safety.
Developing Interactive-Reading Workshops for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families
Stephanie Hernandez, Brigham Young University
Mellany Groll, Brigham Young University
Faculty Mentor: Connie Summers
SESSION C (1:45-3:15PM)
POSTER C82
Previous research has shown that early literacy experiences with parent and child engagement improve language, literacy, and academic outcomes for children. But, few studies have included culturally and linguistically diverse families. The purpose of the current project was to develop an interactive reading workshop for parents of preschoolers from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds for use in a larger study. We collaborated with a local preschool to create a five-week evidence-based workshop for parents of children in the preschool. Workshop presentations were developed through an iterative process of practice and discussion and reviewed by the faculty advisor and community partners. Current research literature informed the content and strategies utilized in the workshops for interactive book reading. Presentations, books, video examples, and handouts were offered in English, Spanish, and Portuguese to accommodate the diverse language needs of the preschool families. Presentations were also adapted to be inclusive of children with diverse developmental needs. Culturally responsive practices were incorporated including discussion among parents to allow for the sharing of ideas and insights. These practices ensured the content of the workshop was not prescriptive which implied that there are diverse ways to help children develop literacy skills. In addition, books, incentives, food, and child care were provided for retention of participants. Navigating timelines and implementing feedback from community partners and parents presented challenges in our collaboration. These challenges were addressed as a team through open communication with our local partners and by setting clear expectations. We learned the need for flexibility when working with partners and the value of simplicity in our workshops. Lessons learned included the importance of incorporating multiple perspectives and voices, prioritizing responsiveness to feedback, and projecting diverse viewpoints.