Action research is ongoing and begins when a practitioner has a concern about his or her practice. The goal of action research is to examine professional practice in a way that brings about change.

In this course’s assignments, you will complete an individual, descriptive action research study on a topic, issue, or problem impacting your professional practice. From the presentations, recall that the purpose of descriptive research is to describe the situation; it does not provide guidance on what to do or establish causality. As you consider study ideas, keep it simple – an idea manageable in a four-week timeframe.

During the study, which will span Modules 1 through 4, your goal is to obtain a good grasp of a topic, issue, or problem of concern to you by working through the research steps. On the Learning Objects pages, you will find action research information and other useful links to provide guidance as you undertake your project. Articles on action research are also included in your course readings.

In the course, the action research study will progress as follows:

Module 1: Visualize your action research study by thinking through the process. Decide on a problem, issue, or concern as the focus of your study. Develop an annotated bibliography, or survey of available literature.

Module 2: Begin your action research report: Purpose, problem statement, question(s), and literature review.

Module 3: Continue work on your action research report. Design your data collection plan. Complete two data collection activities.

Module 4: Continue work on your action research report. Analyze the data from the two activities. Draft and share the complete action research report with colleagues. Use feedback as appropriate to revise the report.

Module 5: Reflect on the action research study and future applications.

The goal of this Module 1 assignment is to help you prepare for your action research study. In preparation, you will complete a “Thinking It Through” activity, in which you will visualize the problem, issue, or concern and how the action research study might unfold. Then you will search for sources that provide information on your research idea and create an annotated bibliography of the sources. In Module 2, you will write a formal literature review. You may decide to use some of the sources from your annotated bibliography in your literature review, or you may decide to do a new search.

Course Objectives

 Explain basic research concepts and the role of theories and frameworks in the research process.

 Describe action research, its process, and relationship to practice.

 Describe research dimensions, purposes, methods, designs, and paradigms.

Directions:

1) Review the Module 1 Analysis PDF.

2) Create a Word or text document for your response. Use 12-point Arial or Times New Roman font. Follow APA (6th edition) format.

3) Create a title page and references page in APA (6th edition) format for your research paper.

4) Follow the directions to complete Part 1 and Part 2 of the assignment.

5) Before you submit your document, save a copy. You will refer to this document in Module 2’s assignment.

6) Follow the directions to submit your final Word or text document.

Part 1: Thinking It Through Paper

1. Before you begin work on your action research study, read this “Thinking It Through” scenario. The goal of the scenario is to help you better understand the process of action research; determine an issue, problem, or concern of interest to you, and draft a potential question or questions (no more than three) for your action research project.

Thinking It Through Scenario

I am a teacher in a classroom for 3-year-olds, and I have been concerned that fewer girls than boys select the computer center during free choice time. This question keeps gnawing at me: Why do fewer girls than boys choose to participate in the computer center?

To answer the question, I decide to engage in individual action research that has a descriptive purpose. At this point, I am not concerned with promoting girls’ participation in the center or finding interventions to increase girls’ activity. I just want to describe the situation…to answer my “why” question. From participation, I confirm that three times as many boys as girls select this center by examining how many times this center is selected on the childrens’ free choice charts, so I know my idea has data support.

After collecting background information from the literature, I map out a data collection plan to answer the research question about my observations. I decide to collect qualitative data from three sources: A survey of girls who are in my classroom, a structure observation of the type of activities available on the computers, and an interview with other teachers of 3-year-olds in my area. From the survey tool, I gain children’s opinions about why some girls choose to play in this center and others don’t. From the observations, I study the types of games and activities offered as well as the themes and learning focus found in the activities. From the interview with the other teachers, I gather their observations about their female students and their interest in the computer center.

After collecting the data, I use the technique recommended for organizing qualitative data: I focus on the words or phrases expressed during the research collection process to look for patterns and themes. (NOTE: If I had used a quantitative, or numeric, source, I would have displayed my data in a table or graph.) From the organized data, several patterns or themes emerge. Girls say they don’t select the computer center because they see it as “a boys’ activity,” that the games available do not have themes which would attract their attention.

After summarizing the patterns and themes, I compose a one-page summary of my research. At this point, I am not ready to share my findings with a large group. I just want to meet with a few colleagues to get their ideas, input, and suggestions for future direction. My colleagues like what I have done so far and suggest that I next pursue the question: How can I modify the activities in the computer center to appeal to girls?” A couple of colleagues volunteer to help me with the next phase of my research…Looks like my individual efforts will become collaborative.

2. Thinking It Through Paper: Compose a “Thinking It Through” scenario of 1 to 2 pages for your specific situation. Visualize the problem and how the action research will unfold.

Part 2: Literature Search: Annotated Bibliography

1. In preparation for your action research study, search the Ebsco database for peer-reviewed articles related to the issue, problem, or concern you will address. Locate at least 3 peer-reviewed articles that help you better define your study. When you search, be sure to place a check on the box for “peer reviewed,” so you are sure to use only peer-

reviewed studies. Articles reporting on one or more empirical studies will likely be the most useful, but there are theoretical articles describing

programs, interventions, and methodologies to help you decide on the

appropriate action to take or propose.

2. Develop an annotated bibliography to provide examples of the sources available. You may or may not use these sources in your Module 2 literature review. An annotated bibliography, a preliminary step to a research study, includes a summary and evaluation of each of the sources. For each annotation entry, use the following criteria:

 Organization: List each source in APA (6th edition) format alphabetized by the author’s last name

 Length: One paragraph of 100-150 words

 Person: Third

 Language and vocabulary: Ideas and language of the author; quotation marks for direct quotations

 Format: One paragraph of complete sentences

 Elements:

o Qualifications of author if available (Based on a 10-year study…, Smith suggests…)

o Purpose/Scope

o Audience (Smith addresses organizational leaders interested in employee motivation.)

o Findings/Results/Conclusions

(a) Using at least ERIC, Google Scholar, and PsycINFO (or equivalent), search the literature for information relevant to your problem. This will be a literature-based needs assessment to examine your problem and to identify a learning gap in professional development.

(b) Select, locate, and photocopy or download as PDF eight (8) research articles related to your research problem. At least five (5) of these articles must be research journal articles published between 2013-2018 (present and analyze new data). Post the articles in Blackboard. (ISTE-c, 4.a, 4.b)

(c) Prepare a one to two page summary of four (4) of the articles selected and then prepare a one page critical review (see tables 4.6, 4.7, and 4.8 in your text) of the four (4) other articles you have selected for your paper and post in Blackboard. (5-6 pages total; submit all together as 1 word doc.; 8 separate articles reviewed.) (ISTE-c, 4.a, 4.b)

I have attached the book, example and my topic with information needed

Again Please read all instructions carefully before you to get this work.

You only do part 1 than I’ll ask for the other parts after having the first part

Each part is worth 50 points for a total of 200 points. This will be the major project of the course.See rubric below for grading requirements.

*You will develop a research question relating to technology in the classroom or in a corporate work environment with the goal of designing, developing, and implementing technology-rich adult professional development.

*You will research literature to develop your needs assessment.

*You will design, develop, implement, and evaluate the professional development program in terms of deepening teacher knowledge, improving pedagogical skills, and increasing student learning.

*Finally, you will write a research paper synthesizing all the steps and you will communicate findings throughout the project via a blog on Blackboard.You must consult state educational policies/standards or corporate policies (mission statements, vision, etc) and incorporate findings into your final projects.

Example:Are autograding programs (i.e. “robo-readers”) beneficial to teachers who are grading student essays?(Topic) I would then locate at least 8 articles and create a needs assessment from the literature and write a review (Part 1).I would then create a professional development opportunity for colleagues (ex. lunchtime meeting to explain research, etc.) I would ask teachers to use a robo-reader tool for grading a written assignment (Part 2). After 3 weeks, I would have the teachers attend a focus group regarding their experiences. I would research Ohio writing standards and policies for various grade levels.A research paper would be written synthesizing my findings (Part 3).Finally, a blog detailing all parts of this assignment, along with the findings will be maintained on Blackboard (Part 4).

Topic due second week of class:The statement of an educational research problem related to a question that you would like to know the answer to in the area of teaching or training that implements technology.This should be a question in interrogative form.This need not be exclusively educational. State below your research problem why you are interested in this topic and why this is a significant problem. Include your hypothesis (suspected results). Please put this information in a Word document (Do not PDF) and post in Blackboard. (ISTE-c, 4.a)

Part 1:

(a) Using at least ERIC, Google Scholar, and PsycINFO (or equivalent), search the literature for information relevant to your problem. This will be a literature-based needs assessment to examine your problem and to identify a learning gap in professional development.

(b) Select, locate, and photocopy or download as PDF eight (8) research articles related to your research problem.At least five (5) of these articles must be research journal articles published between 2014-2019 (present and analyze new data). Post the articles in Blackboard. (ISTE-c, 4.a, 4.b)

(c) PhD Students:Prepare a one to two page summary of four (4) of the articles selected and then prepare a one page critical review (see tables 4.6, 4.7, and 4.8 in your text) of the four (4) other articles you have selected for your paper and post in Blackboard. (5-6 pages total; submit all together as 1 word doc.; 8 separate articles reviewed.) (ISTE-c, 4.a, 4.b)

Part 2:

(a) Design, develop, and implement professional development to test your hypothesis in part one.The professional development should promote digital age best practices in teaching, learning, and assessment.Answer the following questions and submit together as 1 word doc. in Blackboard. (ISTE-c, 4.b)

• To whom will the professional development be implemented?You may use adults at your school, at your workplace, or another suitable group of adults who will benefit from your research.Depending on your topic, you may use graduate students.
• What components will your professional development include?
• How will you deliver your information to your colleagues?(Meetings, documents, one-on-one conferencing, computer-assisted instruction, etc.)In other words, how will you ‘spread the news’ regarding the findings from your literature review in Part 1?
• What are you asking your colleagues to change about their instruction, knowledge base, or methods of increasing students’ learning?
• Methodology:How do you plan to evaluate the results of your professional development in terms of teachers’ knowledge, pedagogical skills, or students’ learning? (survey, interviews, pre-post assessments, focus groups, etc.)How will you test your hypothesis and why did you select the method chosen? (Justify your choice – use the textbook for this.)

Part 3

(a) Evaluate the results of your professional development.What is the effect on deepening teachers’ knowledge, improving teachers’ pedagogical skills, or increasing students’ learning?(Incorporate findings into part (b) below.)

(b) Write a research paper regarding your research problem (10-12 pages MED students; 12-14 pages PhD students), double-spaced, 1” margins, 12 point Times Roman font. The paper should be in APA 6^th Edition Style Manual. Paper should contain a reference list at the end of the paper, which counts as one of the required pages and APA style citations within the paper. Copies of the journal articles (8) must accompany the paper. (Paper should be submitted as a Word doc. on Blackboard and also uploaded to your online portfolio for MED students.)(See Tables 4.6, 4.7, 4.8 in your text for more details.)

The paper should have the following components (see APA on structure):

• Introduction to the Problem/Research
• Significance of the Problem
• Research Questions– From week 2
• Literature Review-Use Part 1, but rewrite as a synthesis.Be sure to include the needs assessment used to identify the learning gap in professional development in your technology rich environment
• Methodology:Describe the professional development that was designed, developed, and implemented using the research from your needs assessment and final study design. Describe participants, sampling method, context, etc.– Use Part 2
• Identify and describe the assessment tool that was used to assess learning in your technology rich learning environment-observations, surveys, interviews, focus group, control group, etc. – Use Part 2 (Attach surveys or question protocols at the end of your paper.)
• Results:Describe the evaluation results in terms of effectiveness of deepening teachers’ knowledge, improving pedagogical knowledge, and/or increasing students’ learning (quantitative studies will want to include tables, charts, etc./qualitative studies should have quotes)
• Discussion: Identify from your findings, the policies, procedures that will need to be considered as part of the development of a technology rich learning environment– See state policies/standards or corporate missions/visions.On the last page of the paper, please reflect on the overall value of the assignment. (ISTE-c, 4.a, 4.b, 4c)

Part 4

Part 4 serves as a way to share your project and overall findings with your classmates.Throughout the term, you will be maintaining a blog.Cumulatively, the blog point total will equal 50 points.Many of the blog assignments will be worth 5 points.Your final task will be to create a very brief (2-3 minute) video discussing your findings.This video will be worth 20 points.Our final online class meeting will be used to discuss the projects.Your blog should serve to communicate all processes, decisions, and findings from parts 1 – 3.Please include any charts, graphs, tables, etc that you may have used in Part 3 to communicate your findings.

This paper is an opportunity for you to apply some of the psychological principles taught in this course to your own life. It is a reflection paper where you can demonstrate what you have learned by looking at either your past life experiences, or your life in the future. You will then be asked to discuss what information from the course you used to make any changes in your life. It is less of a biography and more analytic—as you look at your life use the guidelines for whichever aspect you choose to focus upon and fully explore them.

First, after some reflection, decide if you want to focus on your past or your future. Use the questions in the sections below to assist with your introspection. As you write it, reference at least three different theories, concepts or processes presented in the textbook or other course materials that have impacted your views on your past or how they will affect your future.

Evaluation: Your work will be evaluated based on the rubric provided. Points will be awarded based on the depth of your insight as you tell your story, the analysis you provide, use of the resources from the course (the textbook, videos, articles, discussions), and the mechanics or construction of the writing of the paper (grammar, spelling, syntax, formatting, APA style use). Review this rubric prior to writing the paper to be sure you address all the areas to be assessed.

Paper Instruction and Content:

This paper will contain 2 major components: 1) an analysis of your past or an application of your future, and 2) a discussion of those items throughout the course that led to some change in you.

#1 Understanding My Past Life Experiences – or how the knowledge you gained through this class helps you to understand you from the past

OR

#2 How I Can Apply Psychology to My Future Life – a look at how the knowledge you gained from this class can be applied to your future.

In the final section of your paper, you will discuss how this course has changed you. Here you will summarize how the activities and specific assignments, readings, videos, speakers, discussions may have changed your perspective or behaviors. Use the questions in the sections below to help guide your thinking and writing for this assignment. Remember, you will be citing your resources (like you did throughout the course in the discussion boards).

Instructions: Write in specific, thorough details being sure to relate your story with information you learned throughout this course.

CHOOSE EITHER:

1. Understanding My Past Life Experiences-How does what I have learned in this course help to be understand my past?
   1. How has what happened in your life affected who you are today?
   2. We are all shaped by our experiences. The purpose of this topic is not to tell your life story but to explain how the events in your life story influenced your life. Be sure to relate your life story with at least three topics in this course and how you have gained a better understanding of your past because of learning psychology.
   3. For example, if your parents were divorced when you were 10, how did that affect you?
      1. How did that change the relationship you had with one or both parents?
      2. How did it change your attitude regarding intimate relations with others?

***OR***

1. How I Can Apply Psychology to My Future Life–
   1. How can the information you have learned in this class play a role in your future life.
   2. Describe how this new knowledge could be applied to your role or future role as a parent.
   3. How could this information be applied in your career choice?
   4. How could this information be applied to your personal relationships?
   5. How could the information help you with self-acceptance?

Then, conclude your paper by considering the following:

1. How This Course Has Changed Me– You will be using specific information from the textbook, videos, or other elements of the course for this section.
   1. How has the information you learned in this class changed you?
   2. How has your viewpoint on certain subjects changed? Which subjects specifically did your viewpoint change? How is it different now? What materials (videos, articles, textbook subjects, and class discussions) helped you make the change or changes?
   3. How has the information made you reassess different aspects of your life?
   4. How has it changed how you relate to others?

Be sure to use in-text citations for those concepts from the textbook such as (King, 2019, p. 332). Note: For information on how to correctly do in-text citations and listings on the References page, see the website – Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab) – APA style. (Links to an external site.)

All papers are submitted through the Turnitin software to check for possible plagiarism.

• Formatting: APA style
• Font – Times New Roman, 12 pt.
• APA format (1 inch margins, double-spacing, indention of paragraphs)

Lay-out of Paper

• Title Page
• Content – Minimum of 4 to 5 pages in length (Content does not include title page and references page.)
• In-text citations in APA style (see the Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab)
• References page where your resources are listed in APA style.

Rubric

Self-Assessment Paper Rubric

Self-Assessment Paper Rubric

Criteria	Ratings	Pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeDepth of self-assessment	50.0 to >44.0 pts Excellent, clearly articulated and well thought out analysis. 44.0 to >35.0 pts Good solid effort, but could have been a little more fully developed. 35.0 to >20.0 pts Good solid effort, but could have been a little more fully developed. 20.0 to >0 pts Falls short of one or more minimum requirements for this section, or writing is so poor that it undermines clarity of summary.	50.0 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeUse of textual evidence to support analysis	30.0 to >26.0 pts Used specific and convincing examples from the text or other sources that supported claims in the analysis, making insightful and applicable connections between the sources and the analysis. 26.0 to >20.0 pts Used relevant examples from text or other sources to support claims in the analysis making applicable connections between the sources and analysis. 20.0 to >10.0 pts Used examples from the text or other sources to support some claims in the analysis with some connection between the sources and the analysis. 10.0 to >0 pts Few examples from the text or other sources with little support or connection between sources and the analysis.	30.0 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeWriting, grammar, and formatting.	20.0 to >17.0 pts Well written, with good APA formatting and completed using proper grammar. 17.0 to >10.0 pts A few writing, APA formatting and/or grammar issues. 10.0 to >0 pts Some writing, APA formatting, and/or grammar issues.	20.0 pts
Total Points: 100.0

22 unread replies.44 replies.

Initial post due by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. (MT) Week 3
Two replies due by Saturday, 11:59 p.m. (MT) end of Week 3 (60 pts)
Due Dates and Participation Requirements
Learning Objectives Covered
1. Distinguish the similarities and differences between raster images and vector graphics
2. Distinguish the differences between Pantone, RGB and CMYK gamut
Background
It is very important to understand what vector and raster images are, not only as it relates to using the right type of file for the task but also related to scaling and resolution issues that can be caused when outputting them for digital or offset printing. As designers, we must be able to articulate to a client why several different file types are necessary for different platforms, output devices, and media.
Vector art is resolution independent while raster art is resolution dependent. Vector art is created in a program like Illustrator, where each and every line, curve and solid are plotted on an x/y coordinate grid. That grid can be resized, up or down, to any dimensions and the artwork will always come out perfectly. By contrast, raster art is pixel based meaning each pixel has a particular size and color based on resolution and pixel depth. Photographs are raster art. When it comes to resizing when we shrink raster art, it becomes clearer, and when we enlarge raster art, it becomes fuzzy. When a piece of raster art has been enlarged too much, you see the actual edges of the pixels and it looks like stairs or zig-zags on the edge of the subject matter.
Another important factor is that we can easily change vector art to any size of raster art we want, but going the other way is not easy at all. Imagine drawing a photograph in Illustrator, articulating every change in color and shade – No way! That’s why we have both.
It is for this reason that two things are important to keep in mind while working in the field:
1. When doing a logo for a client, create it in Illustrator. From the vector art, you can go anywhere and do anything.
2. When purchasing photographs for a client, get the highest resolution possible. You can take resolution out, but you can’t put it back.
Another important discernment that graphic designers must be able to articulate relates to the different color spaces that we work in, and how the ranges of colors available within them. Our eyes can see millions of colors, but computer screens and inks can recreate a relative few. The technology and study of these color ranges is called gamut. This short video will help you understand what color gamuts are and how they work:
What is Color Gamut? (Links to an external site.)
(4:15 min)
Prompt
Imagine that you have just landed a great design job. The client would like you to produce a billboard for his company, along with a brochure and some promotional items like embroidered hats and jackets. The company has a logo that they have used for years, and they are sticking with their current brand. The client instructs you to go to their website and grab the logo from the homepage – saying that is where others have gotten it from in the past, and that is the only logo that exists.
For your initial post, address the following questions:
1. Will this logo work for the projects you have been hired to do? Why or why not?
2. How do you explain your dilemma to the client?
3. How does color gamut figure into this?
For your citation, you might use articles that describe the vector vs. raster artwork, print vs. web resolution and color, or which file type is best for which job.
When looking at your fellow student’s discussion posts, you might consider addressing which points that they made came across well, and which need further explanation. What might help clarify their points? Can you help them expand their explanation? Can you share some resources that you found helpful while researching this discussion?
Your initial and reply posts should work to develop a group understanding of this topic. Challenge each other. Build on each other. Always be respectful but discuss this and figure it out together.
Reply Requirements
Per the Due Dates and Participation Requirements for this course, you must submit 1 main post of 150+ words, 1 IWG citation, and reference, as well as 2 follow-up posts of 50+ words. Responses can be addressed to both your initial thread and other threads but must be your own words (no copy and paste), each reply unique (no repeating something you already said), and substantial in nature. Remember that part of the discussion grade is submitting on time (20%) and using proper grammar, spelling, etc. (20% per post).
First reply:
Olivia Isleman
YesterdaySep 17 at 11:55pm
Manage Discussion Entry
Because my client’s logo is old and only exits in internet form it would be very simple to just go with CMYK with a basic printer for such a large job. CMYK is cheaper and more common place so more people know how to print with it. However the client is looking for an exact match to their logo and CMTK can have some color variation due to the limited colors. In this case I feel it could be better to print in Pantone colors because they have the ability to be more exact. Unfortunately Pantone requires a more expensive printer that is less common and therefore more niche skillset will be needed to print with this method. I would also expect the image to be a raster image because of its age. If that were the case I would want to convert it to a vector image for more precise printing as well.

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/vector-vs-raster-graphics/ (Links to an external site.)

https://printingsolutions.com/whats-the-difference-between-cmyk-and-pantone/ (Links to an external site.)

Second reply:
Kenya Cromwell
10:08amSep 18 at 10:08am
Manage Discussion Entry
I don’t think this idea is a very good one. I thought that the client would have to send the logo to the designer in some type of file, package, or folder in order to make changes to blow it up for a billboard, or the clothing and the brochure. Just plainly grabbing it off the company’s website wouldn’t be enough to get the best resolution for this project. You would need to see everything that was done to make the logo so you can do it correctly, the other way sounds like a shortcut. If it’s the only logo that exists, they would just have to get what they paid for. I tried placing a logo on Illustrator and it was pixelated; it didn’t look clean when I zoomed in. If I were to get the logo from the homepage, it’d be in the form of a raster image, and my no one would be getting the best quality. I would explain that to my client.
Since I would have to get the logo from the homepage, I would have to change the RGB color gamut (what computer monitors can see) to the CMYK color gamut (what printers can see) so that it can be printed for the billboard and brochures.

What is Color Gamut?(2012). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mY-A03-rgX8&feature=youtu.be

Part I

“The mythology of privatization in contracting for social services (Links to an external site.).”

Reflect: Approximately 1.2 million organizations are registered with the IRS as nonprofit organizations. It is estimated that millions more small formal and informal associations exist that do not register with the IRS because they have revenues of less than $5,000 per year. Nonprofit organizations in America have combined revenues of approximately $621.4 billion, which represents 6.2% of the nation’s economy (Luckert, n.d.). Congress developed the Top Tier Evidence standards for nonprofit organizations, defined as: Interventions shown in well-designed and implemented randomized controlled trials, preferably conducted in typical community settings, to produce sizable, sustained benefits to participants and/or society (“Top Tier”, n.d.).

In Oregon they have developed an intervention for parenting training for recently separated, single mothers with sons aged 6-10 years. It is administered by Implementation Sciences International, Inc. (ISII), a research-based, non-profit organization providing training for community practitioners in Parent Management Training – the Oregon Model (PMTO®). The cost per family to the organization is $1000 to $1500 dollars. The meetings teach five core parenting practices: appropriate, noncoercive discipline (e.g., setting limits, following through, reinforcing prosocial behavior); skill encouragement (e.g., breaking tasks such as homework into achievable steps); monitoring; problem solving; and positive involvement. They also teach skills tailored to divorcing women, including (i) emotional regulation (e.g., recognizing negative emotions, and practicing techniques to help regulate them); (ii) managing interparental conflict (e.g., through problem solving and negotiation); and (iii) addressing children’s divorce-related concerns (e.g., through active listening, problem solving, and recognizing and managing emotions). (“Parent Management Training”, n.d.).

Write: Imagine the Lovely People County Board of Eastern Kentucky are considering developing a program such as the ones rerferenced above for their county. The board is split, particularly around money and other resources, as to whether the county itself should implement the program or to take bids from other agents operating in the county. They have tapped you, as a county director of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), to help them make the best choice. You are ready to give them a report based on your research. Utilizing the readings and your own sources, discuss what issues might be involved in your determination of your recommendation to the county board. Based on this analysis let us know what you would recommend. These are some helpful resources that may help guide you in your recommendation:

• “What’s the Matter With Eastern Kentucky?” (Links to an external site.)
• Super Pages: Lexington and Area (Telephone Directory) (Links to an external site.)

Use the following questions to help direct you in your response:

• Describe the advantages and challenges of the choice you are recommending over the other.
• Given your counties special needs what recommendations would you give for constructing this program in your county?
• Briefly, how would evaluate the success of the alternative you are recommending?

Guided Response: As a board member, what questions would you have given your fellow peer’s recommendation? What recommendations would you have regarding their decision. What suggestions can you give that would address concerns you might have given the constituites you represent? Your post should contain a minimum of 400 words.

Part II

“Mental health clinician attitudes to the provision of preventive care for chronic disease risk behaviours and association with care provision.”

Reflect: Health Care Reform has, for a long time, been a hot topic. Costs of Medicare, loss of jobs, increased costs of doing business, are all part of the problem/need. Consider the two citations below:

We have invented more health care than we can afford to deliver….We already ration. The United States denies more health care to more people than any other developed country in the world. We did that by leaving 50 million people out of the system (before the Affordable Care Act).

[For example] I don’t believe you should give any extensive operations to anybody over 85. You should make sure that they’re clean, they’re loved, they’re comfortable, they’re pain-free, but we shouldn’t be doing high-technology medicine on people over 85. (Lamm, 2015)

A rising proportion of medical expenditure is now devoted to prolonging the lives of the very old and the terminally ill. The costs of this are potentially unlimited.

We should pause to ask ourselves the questions raised by the surgeon Atul Gawande in his book, Being Mortal. Perhaps the greatest challenges in modern healthcare are not those of meeting the spiraling cost of advanced medical technologies. They lie in accepting that we are all going to die, and learning to do so with dignity.

Efforts at cost containment and the rationing of medical services are impinging deeply on the elderly and placing physicians in roles that may interfere with the covenant of faithfulness that exists between physician and patient. Physicians must examine negative societal images that may influence the care of the elderly and hold firm to the commitment to respond to the needs, values, and best interests of the elderly in the face of changing health care policies and constraints of one kind or another. Further, a major ethical imperative for physicians relates to making themselves available for the treatment of the elderly in the context of an appreciation of these patients’ tasks in the final stage of development.

Write: As an assistant in arranging discharge planning with a social worker and a multi-disciplinary team, you are asked for your professional input as an elderly woman living alone is being discharged to a long term facility. A high risk procedure and expensive procedure is being suggested for this 87 year old woman. The issue of cost for such procedures for the elderly has surfaced among the team. The team is discussing the decision of the procedure and social services is consulted for a full consideration of the patient in her context.

Utilizing what you have learned in the program and including extra resources, address the following:

• Evaluate the value assumptions that influence your recommendation.
• Describe how you would respond to these values as you self-reflect.
• Describe how much cost of the procedure would influence your recommendation.
• Should you consider what your client wants? How does this weight against professional values and opinions?
• Explain your recommendations to the team.

Guided Response: In responding to your classmates, are you in agreement with the values they proposed? What input would you give to the treatment team based on their recommendations? Would you suggest a different perspective? If so, describe your perspective and why you would suggest this as a fellow team member. Your post should contain a minimum of 300 words.