Perspectives of Mentor TeachersMentor teachers (MTs) play a critical role in the development of teacher candidates (TCs) during field experiences, serving as instructional and professional role models. Yet, little is known about how MTs perceive their roles, and value mentoring or support TCs. This study investigates the perspectives of MTs within the Eau Claire Area School District to explore: (a) how they prioritize relationships with TCs, (b) their expectations of mentoring, and (c) strategies for fostering connections.Using a constructivist framework, this research employs a comparative case study design and semi-structured interviews with MTs to explore their experiences. Thematic analysis was conducted to uncover patterns in their mentorship approaches and align findings with existing literature on effective mentoring practices. The study highlights the challenges MTs face in balancing their mentoring and teaching responsibilities, while also offering insights into the professional and relational dynamics that shape successful mentorship.Preliminary findings suggest MTs emphasize explicit communication and balancing control with independence to support TCs effectively. Additionally, MTs see mentorship training as valuable in guiding TCs. Future educator preparation programs may consider providing mentorship training and resources that focus on building trusting relationships to foster TC growth.
Exercise provides individuals with various physical benefits, improving cardiovascular health, strengthening bones and muscles, and increasing flexibility and mobility. Additionally, exercise promotes numerous mental benefits, reducing stress, improving mood, and enhancing cognitive function. Unfortunately, with various types of exercise, ranging from strength training to interval training, it's difficult for individuals to choose the one that will provide the best results. In this study, we decided to examine the cognitive effects of interval training compared to a prescribed fitness plan amongst UWEC's Community Fitness Program (CFP) members. To do this, participants of the interval training and the control group were asked to commit to 2-3 workouts a week and took a baseline test, examining their cognitive abilities. After 4 weeks, the two groups were retested, took a week-long break, and resumed training. Through this experiment, our group hoped to discover if interval training, compared to a prescribed fitness plan, had a greater impact on cognitive function, providing more insight into the vast world of exercise, potentially directing new exercising individuals looking to seek higher cognitive function or redirecting veteran exercisers to help them realign their goals.
This follow-up study investigates how school factors (e.g., administrative support, workload, etc.) and teachers’ characteristics (e.g., teacher efficacy) influence teachers’ retention through their fifth year in the profession. There is currently a nationwide teacher shortage that has presented challenges for schools and administrators. Eight percent of teachers leave the profession each year, with special education among the disciplines most affected by this attrition rate. Within the field of special education, approximately 40% of teachers leave the field by their fifth year of teaching. While preparing new teachers is one solution, retaining teachers in the field presents a more efficient choice. Participants in this study include fifth-year teachers (n= 6) who previously participated in a study on teacher induction during their first year of teaching. Methods include a survey on teacher efficacy and semi-structured interviews. Preliminary surveys completed by participants have indicated that all participants are working in the field of education, well above the national retention averages. Student and faculty researchers will present the identified themes in participant’s survey and interview responses that pinpoint which factors contributed to their retention and how that information might be used to improve pre-service programs.
In 2023, Wisconsin legislators passed Wisconsin Act 20. This law required schools, including higher education institutions, to evaluate their literacy programs to align with the new Act 20 standards. Several classes offered at UWEC focus on teaching literacy methods, including UEM 433: Inclusive Literacy Methods in Grades 4-9. Our research aimed to determine if the course content taught in UEM 433 covered the components of Act 20. We first read through the Act 20 legislation and determined its key components. We then reviewed course materials, including assignments, objectives, and readings and noted whether they addressed specific aspects of Act 20. We found that the course addresses most concepts of Act 20, but not sufficiently in the area of oral language. We were able to find evidence of other areas addressed in Act 20 but determined that more information could be included in the course for areas such as vocabulary surrounding assessment and roles of faculty. We added a reading addressing middle grade oral language development to the course. Further research could be conducted to determine if oral language is a gap that persists across university middle level English Language Arts teacher education courses.
Social work students require robust mental health crisis response skills, yet traditional coursework may not provide sufficient practical training. This study examines the effectiveness of embedding Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training within existing social work curriculum to enhance student learning outcomes. The goal of MHFA is to provide emotional support and information about helpful resources to people experiencing mental health crises. For this study, we are taking a mixed methods approach to assess the extent at which the integration of MHFA training into a social work mental health course improves students' knowledge of mental health issues and crisis response strategies. We are also hoping to assess how MHFA training impacts students' self-reported confidence levels in responding to mental health situations. The team will utilize three quantitative measures: Pre and post MHFA knowledge assessment, Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS) and the Selfefficacy in Mental Health Crisis Response Scale. In addition, the intention is to have one focus group of students who completed the training share their thoughts on the learning process. The hopes of this study is that it will demonstrate the effectiveness of MHFA training and lead to a larger scale implementation of MHFA training within UW- Eau Claire.
PURPOSE: Evidence demonstrates that undergraduate students experience a chronic lack of sleep with 60% being qualified as poor sleepers. Additionally, poor quality and quantity of sleep and sedentary behavior has been shown to increase all-cause mortality in the general population. Given the high prevalence of poor sleep quality in undergraduate students raises the question of how various exercise modalities would affect the quantity and quality of sleep of undergraduate students. METHODS: A total of 23 college students were recruited. Participants were split into three groups: journaling (control), aerobic training (AT), and resistance training (RT), and completed three, 30-minute sessions of the intervention for three weeks. Two accelerometer and inclinometer devices were worn at baseline and the third week of intervention to track quantity and quality of sleep. Group x Time two-way repeated measures analysis of variance was employed to compare the differences in outcome variables across the three groups. RESULTS: There was no interaction effect between group and time on total sleep time, number of awakenings, average length of awakening, and sleep efficiency (p>.05). CONCLUSION: Three weeks of AT and RT compared to journaling did not have significant effects on undergraduate students’ sleep quality and quantity.
We have seen a noticeable lack of understanding amongst undergraduate CSD students in upper-level courses when recalling information on how speech sounds are made by mouth. We developed a game to reinforce knowledge about the articulation of speech sounds. We are expecting this game, used in class as a brain warm-up, to reinforce previous knowledge which is necessary for graduate school and a career as a speech-language pathologist or audiologist. To play the game, the course professor will give each student a black notecard and display a prompt (ex. “she __ about phonetics.”). Each student will identify a word that fills in the blank based on syntactic constraints. Students will identify sounds and write down the place, voice, and manner of articulation for each sound in the word (e.g., voiceless, interdental, fricative for the “th” sound in “thinks”). When finished, students exchange their work with another and identify the phonetic symbols for all sounds described. This game will be played weekly for the remainder of the semester, and we will analyze the collected data at the end of the semester.
In the American population alone, roughly 3 million children stutter in their lifetime (National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, 2017). The purpose of our research study is to explore how stuttering is represented in children’s picture books. We are building upon existing research that describes representation of disability in books. For data collection, we have gathered a sample of 20 children’s books with a variety of characters who stutter. We are using inductive methods of analysis including a constant comparison approach and consensus building to develop categories describing the representation of stuttering children’s picture books. to are analyzing any trends and/or patterns that appear through our analysis. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (2017, March 6) Stuttering. Unites Stated Department of Health & Human Services, National Institute of Health https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/stuttering
Motivational interviewing is a counseling style that speech-language pathologists can use to guide clients in making change that is led by client priorities and values. Making change and taking action is typically preceded by a period of ambivalence. Our study examines how ambivalence manifests in the counseling conversations between speech-language pathologists and caregivers with children with a language impairment. Counseling conversations between a speech-language pathologist and three caregivers was recorded and transcribed. Inductive methods of analysis are employed to examine how caregiver ambivalence manifests across these sessions. Themes are presented so that clinicians can develop a greater understanding of the conflicting emotions and attitudes caregivers face when taking action to support a child with language impairment.
A variety of instructional approaches are employed in educational settings to promote student learning and engagement. Two such approaches are subject-centered and problem-centered learning. Subject-centered approaches structure the curriculum around specific subject matter, which is presented in a linear manner. In contrast, problem-centered approaches emphasize application and relevance to real-world scenarios, with information discussed iteratively as the class unfolds. Problem-centered learning offers advantages such as increased student collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking (Stutt, 2023). Additionally, best practices for teaching courses related to diverse populations include the active application of concepts and the use of written reflections, which foster higher-level critical thinking and conceptual integration (Keegan et al., 2017; Simon-Cereijido et al., 2023). The purpose of this research was to examine how student learning in a course on diverse populations was influenced by a subject-centered approach compared to a hybrid problem-centered approach. The course was taught using a subject-centered approach in one semester and a problem-centered approach in another. In both semesters, students completed reflections on guided clinical scenarios involving diverse populations. These reflections were analyzed for quality and depth of critical thinking, enabling a comparison between the two semesters. Findings from this study can inform future pedagogical approaches and course design.
Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) work to support children's speech and language development. SLPs are required to provide culturally and linguistically responsive services. Books used within SLP sessions should include high-quality representation across a variety of aspects of identity, as the use of culturally relevant, inclusive literature serves to increase treatment outcomes, mitigate stereotypes, promote self-efficacy, and help children develop a sense of belonging across identities. The purpose of this research was to understand student perceptions of, and the impact of, a class session designed to teach students about the use of inclusive children's books. The class period included a lecture about the value of considering representation across different aspects of identity, application practice which allowed students to actively select books while considering both clinical targets and representation, and reflective assignments. The reflective assignments were analyzed to discover changes in students’ thoughts regarding the aspects they considered while selecting books for therapy, the importance of considering aspects of representation, and how challenging it is to access books with diverse representation. Results will be used to inform future decisions about the value and impact of class sessions devoted to this topic.
Our research aims to describe perceptual and acoustic features of the word-final "l" sound across two different dialects of English: Midwestern English and Southern White Vernacular English. The English /l/ is an articulatorily complex sound that is considered one of the late-developing sounds. One common pattern used by both children with typical speech development and those with speech sound disorders is vocalization, which occurs when word-final /l/ is produced as a back vowel or glide (e.g., [bɛʊ] for bell). In addition, vocalization of /l/ is a normal feature of certain dialects of English. For our research, we recorded Midwestern speakers producing word-final /l/ in single words. Trained transcribers then transcribed the words and coded the degree of vocalization. Productions were also analyzed acoustically. The results were compared to a set of existing data for word-final /l/ produced by speakers of Southern White Vernacular English. Data analysis is ongoing, but preliminary results suggest differences in the degree of vocalization across dialects.
The research question is: is the 8-minute self-paced (8SPV) VO2max test a valid method for measuring VO2 max? VO2 max is the highest rate at which oxygen can be consumed during intense exercise and reflects the efficiency of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. There are validated VO2 max protocols (ie. Bruce and 10-minute self-paced), however, existing protocols have evidence pointing toward peripheral fatigue being a limiting factor, therefore a shorter 8-minute test could lead to better VO2 max result. UWEC students will be recruited and three VO2max tests will be performed for each participant. The three protocols will be conducted using a treadmill and the VO2max will be measured using the metabolic cart. The tests include the 8-minute self-paced, 10-minute self-paced, and Bruce protocol. One-way repeated measures ANOVA will be implemented for comparing the VO2max across three protocols. The anticipated result is that the 8SPV will provide consistent results with the validated protocols. If validated, the 8SPV protocol can be used in future research.
The purpose of this study if to investigate the effectiveness of exergaming in combination with resistance training to reduce fall risk among individuals with Parkinson’s Disease (PD). PD causes many balance impairments and fall risks due to the underlying physiology of the disease. Six participants were recruited from the Parkinson’s Exercise Program at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire and were split into two groups. For the first four weeks, Group 1 will engage in two 15-minute exergaming sessions along with 75 minutes of resistance training per week while Group 2 will only be doing 75 minutes of resistance training. After the initial four weeks, the groups will switch, and Group 1 will only do resistance training while Group 2 will do the two exergaming sessions along with resistance training for four weeks. Fall risk will be assessed at the beginning, middle, and end of the study using a fall risk assessment on the BioDex Balance System and a Timed Up and Go - Cognitive assessment. This research is still in progress. We hope that this study will provide valuable insight into effective strategies for decreasing fall risk among individuals with PD.
This study examined the reliability of bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) compared to dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) to track body composition changes in Division III football athletes across an entire off-season training program. A sample of Division III male college football athletes (n=32) participated in this study. Total body composition analysis was measured using DEXA and BIA at three time points throughout the off-season training program. These time points represented the beginning (January), middle (May), and end (August) of the off-season training program. Change scores (post-pre) were calculated between time points to quantify changes across time points. Paired-samples t-tests were employed to examine any significant differences (p<0.05) between DEXA and BIA. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were used to examine agreement between methods across time. There were no significant differences (p>0.05) in FM, FFM, and FFMI changes between DEXA and BIA within the January-May time frame. A significant difference (p<0.05) between DEXA and BIA was detected in FM, FFM, and FFMI changes in the May-August time points. BIA showed an acceptable level of reliability in tracking early off-season changes in body composition compared to DEXA, however, the BIA significantly underestimated changes in FM and overestimated changes in FFM during late off-season programming.
Speech-language pathology students are paired with supervisors in their initial clinical experiences. What expectations do novice clinicians have for their clinical supervisors prior to beginning the experience? Students enter their first clinical experience with varying expectations of the support they will receive and a mismatch in expectations can lead to frustration. We surveyed students at accredited speech-language pathology programs. Graduate and undergraduate students responded to one open-ended question and 22 Likert scale statements about expectations. The survey replicated the research of L.C. Larson from 1981 (Larson’s Expectations Rating Scale). Participants from 17 universities completed the survey during the fall 2024 and spring 2025 semesters. No significant differences were found between graduate and undergraduate responses across the Likert scale items. These three lowest expected behaviors were the same items as identified in the original study. Differences emerged when comparing the top three highest expectations across studies. Notably, today’s students most expect clinical supervisors to function as coach/mentor while students in the 1980s most expected supervisors to identify weaknesses in clinical skills and reflect on strategies for things that could be done differently. This tells us that student expectations have changed so supervision practices may need to change as well.
The field of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) is predominantly white, with 90.5% of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) identifying as white. This contrasts with the diverse population served by SLPs, which is increasingly multilingual and multicultural, with children from Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) backgrounds representing more than 53% of the population. This mismatch may reduce the effectiveness of services provided and highlights the critical importance of recruiting and retaining students of color in the field of speech-language pathology. The purpose of this study was to examine the factors influencing University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire undergraduate students’ choice of major and to understand how these factors differ based on student-identified race and ethnicity. Sixteen undergraduate students, both CSD and non-CSD majors, were interviewed to explore the factors that led to their choice of major. The results will provide insights into the influences shaping students’ major selection across different races and ethnicities. Findings can inform efforts to increase diversity within CSD undergraduate programs, ensuring that students from all backgrounds have equitable opportunities to enter the field of speech-language pathology.
