University of North Carolina at Charlotte

About: University of North Carolina at Charlotte is a education organization based out in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 8772 authors who have published 22239 publications receiving 562529 citations. The organization is also known as: UNC Charlotte & UNCC.

A Comparison of Verbal and Written Descriptions of Students' Problem Solving Processes.

Abstract: The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate the impact of writing during mathematical problem solving. The study involved an analysis of ninth grade algebra students' written and verbal descriptions of their mathematical problem solving processes. Through this comparison, a better understanding of the connection between problem solving and writing is realized. The written and verbal data show a relationship between the number of problem solving strategies tried by students and their success. The majority of problem solving behaviors involve execution actions such as carrying out goals and performing calculations. Students who construct global plans are more successful problem solvers. Students engage in verification behaviors at various stages of problem solving though the majority of students do not verify their final answers. While both oral and written descriptions serve as a tool for understanding students' thinking processes, a comparison of the two modes of reporting, using a metacognitive framework as the lens of analysis, reveals some important variations. Students who wrote descriptions of their thinking were significantly more successful in the problem solving tasks (p< 0.05) than students who verbalized their thinking. Differences in metacognitive behaviors also support the premise that writing can be an effective tool in supporting metacognitive behaviors.

The Association Between Self-Efficacy and Hypertension Self-Care Activities Among African American Adults

Abstract: Chronic disease management requires the individual to perform varying forms of self-care behaviors. Self-efficacy, a widely used psychosocial concept, is associated with the ability to manage chronic disease. In this study, we examine the association between self-efficacy to manage hypertension and six clinically prescribed hypertension self-care behaviors. We interviewed 190 African Americans with hypertension who resided in the greater metropolitan Charlotte area about their self-efficacy and their hypertension self-care activities. Logistic regression for correlated observations was used to model the relationship between self-efficacy and adherence to hypertension self-care behaviors. Since the hypertension self-care behavior outcomes were not rare occurrences, an odds ratio correction method was used to provide a more reliable measure of the prevalence ratio (PR). Over half (59%) of participants reported having good self-efficacy to manage their hypertension. Good self-efficacy was statistically significantly associated with increased prevalence of adherence to medication (PR = 1.23, 95% CI: 1.08, 1.32), eating a low-salt diet (PR = 1.64, 95% CI: 1.07–2.20), engaging in physical activity (PR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.08–1.39), not smoking (PR = 1.10, 95% CI: 1.01–1.15), and practicing weight management techniques (PR = 1.63, 95% CI: 1.30–1.87). Hypertension self-efficacy is strongly associated with adherence to five of six prescribed self-care activities among African Americans with hypertension. Ensuring that African Americans feel confident that hypertension is a manageable condition and that they are knowledgeable about appropriate self-care behaviors are important factors in improving hypertension self-care and blood pressure control. Health practitioners should assess individuals’ self-care activities and direct them toward practical techniques to help boost their confidence in managing their blood pressure.